Take on the World
by geminisonic
Summary: Jack and Rapunzel are all grown up and about to be married. However, Jack is starting to uncover things about himself that end up impacting him in a much larger way than he anticipated. Sequel to A Whole New World, Jack's POV. Rated T for: child abuse, sexual abuse, language, violence, and mentions of drug use.
1. Chapter 1

Take on the World

Chapter 1

_*_**Trigger Warning: Child Abuse

_Jack's heart stopped in his chest. Emma stared back at him with wide brown eyes filled with fear. She was only four-years-old but she understood in this moment the consequences that would follow. As he stared hopelessly at the dish broken into pieces on the floor, he had seconds to react before one of their parents would come in, obviously high and/or drunk, to beat whoever was responsible. Emma had dropped it, her fingers wet and slippery from always sucking on them nervously. _

_Jack stared at her hollow face, both were filthy from lack of care, their faces sunken from hunger and pain, and pale from a lack of being outside that summer. Her eyes began to fill with tears and he knew what needed to be done._

"_Go upstairs, hide in the closet, now!" he ordered in a shaky voice._

"_Jack…" she whimpered. _

"_Go, I got this, I'll be okay." He begged, "Just don't let them see you." _

_She hesitated but Jack gave her a sharp look and she turned, rushing to hide in their special hiding spot, reserved for just these occasions. _

_He waited for her footsteps to disappear and then bent down to try and pick up the mess. As if on cue, his father appeared, looking huge and menacing with bloodshot eyes. He sniffed, obviously still somewhat high from the crack he'd used. _

"_The fuck happened here?" his dad barked, his words slurring. _

"_I dropped it…" Jack said in the feeblest voice, wishing he sounded brave and strong._

"_No shit, well clean it up!" his dad began to roar, "You stupid or something? Pick it up!" _

_Jack nodded and quickly rushed to pick up the mess. _

_His dad trudged past him to get to the fridge and pull out another beer. Jack was feeling somewhat relieved now, wondering if all he had to do was clean up the mess and then leave quietly, but his dad stuck around as he opened the can loudly and spilled some beer on the floor. _

"_Clean that up too." He ordered as he took a swig, "I swear to God, I have retards for children." _

_Jack was fast, glad he chose to relieve Emma of any punishment. He was used to having to be fast and obedient. _

_Right as he grabbed a towel however, his dad began to march past him and knocked him down onto his back, "Watch where you're going you stupid little shit!" his dad roared, giving Jack a swift kick in the chest. Jack hoped that was it, but to his horror, his dad kept kicking a few more times. It felt like one hundred but Jack knew it was only a few times. It didn't take much to do a lot of damage though. _

_His dad then grabbed him by the hair, dragging him up and shoving him back to the ground, "Get out of my sight, if I so much as see you here, I'm shoving you out the door, got it?"_

_Jack grunted in pain, holding his chest tightly._

"_I asked you a question, boy!" his dad advanced again._

"_Yes sir!" Jack squealed, sounding like some frail animal. _

"_Go!" his dad barked._

_Jack happily obeyed, rushing as fast as he could out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room to find Emma. _

_He was relieved to see she was in their hiding spot, covering her ears and humming a song she knew. She noticed him and stared sadly at him. There was no shock or surprise, both knew what their parents were like and both understood that they were going to get hurt no matter how hard they tried. It was best to just let it go. _

_Jack sat next to Emma, his chest feeling like it was going to explode with the pain. He winced but managed to hold her close to him and hum the song they both knew by heart. _

….

Jack grunted as he woke up, his hand on his chest. He could have sworn he felt the pain, the sharp stab of pain as he came to from the nightmare that wasn't so much a nightmare as it was a memory. He felt someone stir next to him and looked over to see to his relief that it was his girlfriend, now fiancé, Rapunzel. He had completely forgotten that they'd moved in just a couple of weeks ago, boxes still needed to be unpacked and were scattered around their new apartment.

He rubbed his eyes, careful not to wake her up, and looked over at his alarm clock which read an annoying 4:24 in the morning.

He felt Rapunzel turn and saw her snake an arm around his chest. He felt instant relief and smiled as he hugged her closer to his chest.

He was startled when Rapunzel spoke softly in her melodious voice, "Bad dream again?"

He smiled, they were so alike in so many ways, sadly both had a history of violence in their lives and both were recovering, "Sorry I woke you up." He responded, holding her even closer to him.

"It's okay, I get them too." She sighed sadly.

Boy, did he know it.

"What happened this time?" she asked patiently.

Lately both had decided to try something new where when one had a bad dream they asked about it. At first it was hard, having to admit they had been through certain things that were hard to bring up but eventually both got used to it. After a while Rapunzel came up with the idea of changing the ending of the dream together. Jack found it soothing in a strange way.

Jack began to relay the dream, describing the kitchen, the mess, his father, his sister, their secret hiding spot, the song, everything.

"How about," Rapunzel began with a small smile, "I come in, knock your father out, and give you and Emma a piece of chocolate cake with lots of chocolate icing on it to share in your hiding spot."

Jack smiled, "No parents, it's just us."

Rapunzel nodded, "I like that better."

"Me too." Jack said sadly, his voice becoming hollow.

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked, relaxing more into his chest, "Have you ever wondered why…why they did that to us? Our parents?"

Jack shrugged, "I do, but, somehow at the same time, I don't think I'd even care."

"Yeah, me neither." Rapunzel admitted, "I mean I know it was never my fault, but, what made them so…cruel?"

"Probably a lot of things." Jack shrugged again, "Either way, we turned out better, right?"

Rapunzel nodded, "Yeah, we did. We got a happy ending."

In truth, Jack asked that very question every day. When he had finally turned eighteen years ago he thought about trying to understand his parents to see why things went so badly, but, just like he was when he was only a child, he was still too scared of them. And here he was still afraid at the age of twenty-two. It bothered him, but, he had Rapunzel, his dad, his brother and sister, Hiccup, and so many others who loved him. He always managed to convince himself that it was all he needed.

"What should we do for breakfast?" Jack asked Rapunzel, who yawned, obviously trying to fall back asleep, "I want waffles." She smiled, "Extra syrup."

Jack smiled, "It's a date." He chuckled.

"Okay." She sighed contentedly before falling back asleep, "Sounds good."

Jack watched her face as she fell back asleep. She was so beautiful and he couldn't imagine ever not having her in his life.

As he closed his eyes he tried fixating on the details of Rapunzel's freckles, the outline of her cheeks and nose, the curl of her lashes, everything but of the pain his father caused him when he kicked the living daylights out of his frail body so many years ago.

….

Jack woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon and his stomach groaned. He turned to feel Rapunzel's side of the bed was empty and managed to open his eyes and make out that it was after ten in the morning on his alarm clock. Thank goodness for evening shifts at a tattoo parlor. He stretched and his already inked up arm glinted with color as it hit the sun coming through the window.

Most of the art was Rapunzel's, but he was proud to have come up with a lot of the designs himself, all of them telling a different story that represented his life or people who made a difference in it. His favorite one was the one on his heart; a bright sun shining on purple and gray skies to symbolize the love of his life, Rapunzel.

He pulled on a pair of baggy gray shorts over his boxers and ruffled his never-changing white hair. He thought about putting a shirt on, but with the plans he had for Rapunzel after breakfast, he had a feeling he didn't need one.

He smirked and walked out to see her busy tending to the bacon, in his favorite purple tank top that clung to her curves with a pair of lacy pink cheeky's he'd gotten her for Valentine's Day. She'd put her blonde and pink hair up in a loose ponytail and he noticed her hummingbird tattoo peeking out on her shoulder. She'd gotten it to represent her mother, Ana.

He snuck up behind her, putting hands on her waist softly and pulling her back into him for a kiss on the neck. He made sure to brush his lips against the sensitive spot just under her ear, avoiding the cute little dangling earring she wore. He smiled remembering when he gave her that very piercing as a teenager.

He could tell she was smiling as she turned her head to look at him, "Good morning."

"Good morning." He whispered back in her ear, "Smell's good."

"It's almost done." She commented, turning back to focus on the bacon.

"I meant you, but the bacon smells good too." He teased.

She giggled at that, continuing to rest against him, his arms snaking around her middle to hug her. He slipped his fingers casually under her top.

"Jack!" she warned, squirming a little, "I'm working with hot grease."

"Might need some of that later." He commented seductively which earned a snort from her.

Jack laughed and relaxed his hold so she could turn around to face him. As she did she reached up towards his neck and pulled him down for quick kiss. He obliged happily and was hoping for just a little more action but she pulled away with a wink and a grin.

He relented for the time being but he knew the morning was still young and he could work his magic no problem.

He decided to pour them some coffee that was waiting in the pot near the fridge. He made sure to use the right amount of their flavored cream they always had handy, considering both had a real sweet tooth.

He handed her a mug and leaned against the counter, "What time is your class?"

"It's at three, I should be done in time to head to the office." She replied, taking a sip of coffee.

He smiled at her, "Busy week?"

She nodded, frowning a little, "You really think this is good? I mean, we have a wedding coming up."

He came closer to her and put his coffee down so he could rub her arms, "I think it's amazing. You're going to really change lives with this."

She smiled up at him, looking more hopeful.

"And as far as the wedding, we have way too many people involved to help, so don't worry, okay? I'm here."

She finally nodded and hugged him, "I'm just so, I don't know, it's so much right now."

"It is, but when have we ever just sat around doing nothing, right?" he laughed.

She had to agree with him, since high school, both found that when they were busiest was when they succeeded. Jack couldn't sit around too long without getting fidgety and Rapunzel had to do something with her hands at all times or she got panicky.

"Just think how many kids you are going to help with this." Jack reminded her and he could tell she was gaining back more confidence.

"Hard to believe," She swallowed, "I'll have a masters in counseling and art. Like, how did that happen?" she laughed.

"You made it happen." He smiled, brushing a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"Mom helped, and you." She pointed out.

"Me? What did I do?" he laughed, "I only got a bachelors in business and art."

"But you encouraged me to do it."

"True, one of us has to keep our brains alive." He teased.

She whacked him softly on the chest with a laugh, "Hey! That's pretty impressive! Pretty soon you'll have your own tattoo parlor."

"I imagine in about twenty years maybe." He shrugged, "Right now, I'm doing great where I'm at, my clients are good, and I have you."

"True, you do have me." She grinned.

"Bacon's burning." He smiled.

"Shoot!" she growled and turned to keep the bacon from burning to a crisp.

He laughed and opened the fridge, "What happened to pancakes and waffles?" he asked her as he checked their food status.

"We're out of mix." She pouted as she plated the bacon, "Guess it's grocery store time again." She said with a sigh.

"I'll take care of it." He said as he closed the fridge, "We're gonna need some more trash bags here soon."

"How many more boxes do we have left?" she asked, bringing the plate and coffee mug to the small kitchen table that was at the moment, scattered with papers and mail.

"Not too many, while you're at class, I can tackle a couple." Jack said, sitting down with her and grabbing a piece of bacon.

She nodded and stared forlornly at the bills piling on the table, they were both starting to feel the heat of having their own place, jobs, school, and bills. Not to mention, they had to start planning their wedding for the spring of next year, only 8 months away. He could tell the stress was starting to get to her.

He reached out to hold her hand in his, "Hey, we got this. We've been through worse, right?"

"True." She nodded, "Adulting just…sucks."

He couldn't agree more.

…..

Jack revved up his motorcycle and took off into the evening. He was proud he was able to unpack at least two boxes while Rapunzel was starting her classes and he even went to the store to grab something for dinner that she could heat up.

He couldn't lie that living with her was a long time coming and he was relieved they'd accomplished that part of their lives, but he knew with school and jobs and wedding planning, things were about to get crazy.

He understood she was scared about going back to school to get her Masters in arts and counseling but he felt it was going to be an amazing journey for her.

He remembered her coming over to his place before they moved in together. He was still staying with his father while they picked out a place to live in the city. He wanted to be closer to work and so did she. She'd brought pamphlets and applications that her mother had given her to apply to a master's program that had just started picking up at a university in another town. It specialized in the arts and therapy and had been approved by the state. It would give Rapunzel a chance to excel in art and begin to work towards a counseling degree. She had taken psychology and art in school, but currently, she worked at a studio in town that hosted classes and parties. She liked it, but he knew she was looking for more in her life. With a lot of encouragement, she filled out the papers in front of Jack and together they visited the school to turn it in and meet with an academic adviser. She had an interview for admissions that day and got right in. Miss Ana helped her apply for some loans and scholarships as well to help with the costs. It wasn't much, but Ana was willing to help Rapunzel through it all and Jack was thrilled.

Rapunzel seemed to be the only one truly nervous about it and he understood. It was a big step in her life and it was at a weird time, but he knew she was going to love it. He only wished he could be so lucky. Currently he was working on a business plan to open his own tattoo parlor, but because he wanted to be sure Rapunzel would be in a place she wanted to begin her career, he put his dream on hold to let her fulfill hers. He knew his day would come and he looked forward to it, but for now, he was happy he had a ton of client's who loved his work. He'd even gone to a couple of conventions to start networking.

Jack parked his bike and walked in, shedding his black leather coat and silvery blue helmet. He adjusted a few piercings on his face, due to the helmet sometimes causing them to shift a little. With one ruffle of his hair he walked into the parlor, the sign still reading closed. The parlor functioned mostly in the evening after five. Jack worked every evening except for Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, which he reserved for mentoring with Miss Ana.

He set up his station and started preparing for his first client of the evening. He pulled out the picture and smiled as a gorgeous dolphin with shining bright colors and lively eyes stared back up at him. He'd already done the outline and most of the color, today he was hoping to finish it.

He nodded to a few others who walked in, including his boss, Viggo. He respected Viggo for the most part, he seemed partial to Jack's work and was a good businessman. But Jack always felt like Viggo somewhat resented him in some passive aggressive way. Every time Jack asked about getting more hours or new client's Viggo always managed to keep Jack out of the loop. Jack had to find out himself about conventions before Viggo told him. And lately, Jack began to notice that Viggo began taking some of his work and passing it off as his own. Jack tried not to let it bother him, he had good clients and his work spoke for itself. If Viggo was jealous or weird he didn't let Jack know it and Jack was fine with that.

His phone buzzed and he checked to see who had texted him. He smiled as he read a text from Merida inviting him and Rapunzel out to dinner tomorrow before the mentoring began. He texted back quickly and felt a sense of accomplishment at doing what he loved. He'd gone from just piercings and hair styling to full on tattoo artist with a business plan at the ready. Not only that, he was engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world and was happily living with her. Things couldn't possibly go downhill.

…..

Jack walked in quietly after midnight to the TV on and his fiancé sleeping under an afghan on the couch. He noticed her new set of textbooks and supplies were scattered on the coffee table. He set his jacket and bag down and walked over to her quietly. He smoothed the hair from her eyes and kissed her forehead gently.

She stirred awake and groaned, "Jack?"

"Hey sleepyhead." He said, sitting down next to her.

She opened her eyes and yawned, "I fell asleep." She apologized, grabbing the remote and turning off the show she had been watching about wedding dresses.

"How was your first day?" he asked her excitedly.

She stretched her arms and cricked her neck, "It was fun. Pretty busy though."

He looked at some of her textbooks with titles like "Introduction to Clinical Counseling", "Art Fundamentals", "Understanding Trauma and Grief", and "The Art of Counseling".

"Looks like quite a load." He commented.

"Just three classes this semester." She nodded, "But it'll be intense." She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, "I take the trauma class on Friday, not sure how I feel about it."

He understood what she meant. They both had taken psychology in college and while he didn't have to go into the more intense classes, she did. She admitted some of the lessons were hard for her.

"At least you'll get it over with, right?" he tried.

She nodded, "Yeah, I figured I'll just get that one done and hopefully it won't be as…I don't know."

"Well, I'm still proud of you." He smiled, "Can't wait to tell everyone tomorrow about it."

She smiled at him, "That'll be nice. Mom also called me today, she reminded me about tomorrow."

"Yeah, Merida and Hiccup want to do dinner beforehand." Jack nodded.

"Sounds good."

"How is Miss Ana doing?" Jack asked her as he finally got up and helped her organize the mess on the coffee table.

"She's good, she's excited for me. She's going to help me get a few more things for school. She also wants to host a painting party soon."

"When's the next one?" Jack asked her as he stretched and walked to the kitchen to grab a bottled water.

"Not until Saturday. Heather is having her friends at the office come and do one."

He could tell she was looking somewhat frazzled as she shoved papers, books, supplies and wedding magazines into an empty box. He came over to her and held her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized softly, hugging him back, "I don't know why I'm so all over the place. I don't know why I can't just be happy."

"Hey, it's okay, it's going to get easier, I promise. I got you." Jack told her, letting her rest into him.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." She sighed, squeezing him tighter.

"Come with me." He said, leading her down the hall to the spare bedroom they were hoping to make a studio. It had two closets, one bigger than the other. One of them had art supplies, but the other closet, Jack had worked on today to finish. He pointed to the closet and she gasped.

He smiled, showing her the open space. The door had been taken off and instead replaced with a dark blue curtain that Jack had pasted glow in the dark stars on. He lifted the curtain and led her inside. It was dark, save for a small hanging purple bulb surrounded by a lantern with cut out stars on it. He'd put pillows and blankets on the floor to make it comfortable. She could see string lights as well hanging on the walls with glow in the dark stars surrounding them.

"If you want to just come in here and read, I made sure to have Christmas lights you can plug in." Jack told her, "But if you just want to sit in the dark and have quiet, I thought the purple light would work better."

"Jack, I love it." She breathed out in a wondrous sigh, "It's just like your fort."

"It's our fort now, but I'm calling it the dream corner instead because that sounds way cooler." He laughed.

She leaned into him and he held her close, "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead, knowing he killed it today making her as happy as he could.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

***Trigger Warning: Mentions of child abuse, drug use, loss and grief, and sexual abuse.

Jack pulled up with Rapunzel to their old high school. Rapunzel's adopted mother, Ana, continued work there as a therapist and art teacher. She luckily continued the after-school support group tradition, a fact for which Jack was grateful. What was different this year, however, was that Miss Ana had come up with an idea to give the current students who attended group adult mentors. Of course, the mentors were previous members who all signed up at the first chance to help the new students out.

Jack had been paired with a young freshman named Hiro Hamada. Hiro had moved into town just before high school started and was admittedly having a tough time. He was a troublemaker, too smart for his own good, and a brain that even Einstein couldn't hold a candle to. But only those in group understood why Hiro acted the way he did. Jack really enjoyed working with Hiro. He felt the kid was truly a gifted individual, with a hard past that Jack could understand. He also a fun streak that made him easy to be around.

Rapunzel was texting her mother and Jack smiled at her. She'd been paired with a junior named Moana Montunui who was born and raised in Hawaii. She had recently come to the US to spend time away from her family. She was an explorer by nature but admittedly her parents were very big worriers who did not like being so far from her. She currently stayed with a family member who had introduced her to the academy when they visited before. She was fun, creative, and apparently, a great swimmer and dancer. She was easily one of the most popular girls at school being from Hawaii.

They both walked in and crossed the hallways past their old lockers and classrooms. Jack couldn't help but reminisce their senior year together; finding small corners to make out in, eating lunch with their friends, walking down the halls with his cheerleader girlfriend. Oh, the days.

They came in to see Ana setting up for group with a young girl named Tip Tucci. She was an adorable sophomore with the prettiest brown curly hair that bounced on her head. She always wore bright colors, smiled a lot, and seemed to glow when excited. Today however, Jack could tell she'd just had a rough session with Ana as her eyes were red and she seemed down. Her mentor was MK who, like Nod, continued to help with group.

MK had finished her degree in nature preservation and worked at a national park, giving tours and educating everyone who walked the trails. Nod, on the other hand, had indeed gotten into the military working as an engineer for the various engines that kept the troops moving. He was sincerely enjoying it and according to MK, he and his uncle had finally patched things up.

Hiccup and Merida showed up right after Jack and Rapunzel did.

"Beat you." Jack teased Hiccup who chuckled. Merida looked over at Tip who was avoiding everyone and setting up chairs like her life depended on it. Merida mouthed to Jack and Rapunzel, "She okay?"

Jack shrugged and Rapunzel shook her head, unsure. Merida decided to go and break the ice a little. Jack turned as Hiro walked in, hood up and headphones in his ears. He immediately perked up when he saw Jack, his sunken eyes brightening and his frown becoming a smile that practically reached his ears. Jack gave him a fist pound and beckoned him in. Hiro noticed Tip but didn't say anything. Merida was giving her a quick hug and had her sit down.

Ana walked over to Rapunzel and opened her arms as she usually did. She took Rapunzel's face in her hands and kissed her on the forehead like a doting mother before hugging her tightly. Jack eagerly awaited his hug as a few more kids stepped inside. Hiro had decided to go sit by Tip, both not saying anything just sitting in silence as if they understood that moment a little better together.

"Rapunzel!" A beautiful voice called from the doorway. They all turned to see Moana enter. She was a stunning young woman with caramel colored skin, freckles on her cheeks and brown flowing hair that never seemed to get frizzy. Rapunzel quickly hugged her, and Jack walked over to sit by Hiro who was playing on his phone and showing Tip some of it. He managed to get a small smile from her.

Merida sat down next to the freshman she had been assigned to; Riley Anderson, a young blonde girl all the way from Wisconsin and California. Yep, Riley had moved twice in her short life. Both were equally devastating. She lived most of her childhood in Wisconsin and moved when she became a young teenager. She spent a few years adjusting in California as a teen before she was yet again forced to move all the way out to Burgess. She began to really struggle with getting into things that weren't exactly safe, such as running away and experimenting with drugs. In a nutshell, Merida could relate.

Hiccup on the other hand had just welcomed his freshman into the room, Sherman Peabody. Sherman was a small, lanky kid with lots of freckles, red hair, and glasses that could cover his entire face. He was a natural bookworm, just like Hiccup and he loved history and stories to the point he could impress the smartest of history professors. He and Hiro were neck in neck with IQ's. Hiro would have been number one in his class, but Sherman beat him to it, as Hiro chose not to bother with work. Hiro struggled with thinking homework was below him and boring. Lately however, his grades were picking up and he had Sherman sweating a bit with the fear of losing his title as class valedictorian by the time they were seniors.

"Jack." Hiro said softly, "Check this out, I found a summer program for robotics."

Jack looked down to see Hiro had pulled up a website on his phone of a summer camp that dealt with robotics. Jack was impressed that Hiro was considering it as he always seemed like he didn't care about school or learning for that matter.

"That's awesome! Good find, man." Jack praised excitedly. Hiro seemed happy with that and nodded, "I want to see if Aunt Cass will let me go if I can get my grades up."

"How are they doing?" Jack asked as a few more people came in to sit down, group would start soon.

Hiro shrugged, "I mean, I'm all caught up in math and science, totes easy." he grinned sheepishly, "But, I'm kind of struggling in language arts, it's just...so dumb."

"You don't have my dad yet, huh?" Jack smiled understandingly.

"No, I wish, I think I'd have a shot at least." He mumbled.

"Keep at it, you'll pick them up no problem." Jack encouraged, giving him a nudge.

"Okay everyone!" Ana called in her chipper voice, "We're going to get started now!"

Everyone finally took a seat and began to settle down.

Ana looked fondly around the room, "So happy to see everyone here today. Mentors, thank you for coming."

It was then that Jack noticed a young boy who was swallowed in his oversized green hoodie. His eyes seemed to dart around a little nervously and Jack had to wonder if the kid was legitimately terrified.

"Everyone, I'm delighted to introduce a brand-new member today, Arlo Apoto. He just moved here last week, and I know we are the best ones to really help him settle in. Arlo, I know it's hard being in a group like this where everything is new, so we'll go around and introduce ourselves and whenever you're ready you can tell us more about yourself, is that okay?"

Arlo nodded quickly.

"Okay!" Miss Ana clapped, "We will say your name, why you are here and... oh...let's do favorite animal."

"I'll go!" Vanellope said excitedly across the room. Jack grinned and winked at her. She waved excitedly to him and began, "I'm Vanellope and my brother is Jack," she grinned as she looked at him, "My future sister is Rapunzel," She grinned even more at that and a few of the girls giggled, "I'm here because, my parents gave me up when I was a baby. I was born with seizures and have had a lot of surgeries and foster homes. I'm also diagnosed with ADHD, but it's totally not noticeable so I don't even know why they would think I have it." she giggled. Jack rolled his eyes as she continued, "But, I was adopted a while back and finally have a home. My next surgery is, it's actually coming up soon I found out and..." Jack hadn't ever seen his sister look slightly nervous and he couldn't help but lean forward, "Well, this could be it." she smiled hopefully, "They told me that if this one goes well, I should have less seizures, or, none at all."

"That's wonderful news!" Ana said proudly.

Vanellope nodded, "Just...not looking forward to it honestly. Oh! And I like snails. They're like super slimy, gross, and so slow, I have to respect that."

Jack wanted to snort but instead nodded proudly at her. He'd have to talk to his father about her surgery coming up, she must have finally been approved.

"Guess it's my turn." Nod laughed, "I'm Nod, I'm Vanellope's mentor. She and I have this amazing connection with fast things, so yeah. But I was in group ages ago for getting into some trouble after my parents died. Much better now. And I like sparrows, their neat, fast and kind of cool." he added.

"I'm MK." she smiled warmly at everyone, "And I am Tip's mentor. I came to group after my mom lost her battle with cancer years ago. It was a very hard time for me, and I will never forget how loved and supported I felt here with everyone. I'm so glad this is still going on. And, I like hummingbirds, so pretty and small. My mom liked them too."

Tip squirmed in her seat and waved, "Hey, I'm Tip." she paused for a moment, "I'm sorry, it's just not been a good day for me." MK rubbed her shoulders encouragingly, "I'm here because when I was younger my dad divorced my mom and got remarried to the most atrocious person. Anyways he lied about my mom abusing me and they got custody of me. I was taken from my mom and forced to never see her. Meanwhile they were, well...what they did just wasn't cool. My mom fought really hard for me and she got me back after I finally went to the hospital with three broken bones and what not." She paused again, "I just heard from my mom's attorney today that my dad and stepmom are wanting to see me again, like have visits and crap, and apparently…there is not much I can do about it." She rubbed a tear roughly from her cheek, "It just sucks. Like, how does that even happen you know?" She looked down and it fell deathly quiet in the room, she finally took a breath, "Sorry, just...I can't..."

"It's okay." Ana said softly, "We're all here for you, Tip. All of us."

Hiro and Sherman nodded; Moana looked like she was ready to cry. Rapunzel had a tear falling down her face and Jack knew she understood what Tip was feeling.

Tip nodded and looked over at Hiro, "Go ahead." she smiled sadly.

He smiled at her, "I'm Hiro. I'm a freshman. Apparently, I'm a nuisance." He shrugged, "But, as you guys know, my brother, Tadashi," he took a breath, "there was a fire at his college, and he was in the building. They never even found his remains." he bit his lip, "That happened a year ago today." He looked down sadly, "I miss him. He was the only thing that kept me going after my parents died when I was little. He believed in me and... just like that. Gone."

He grew silent and shook his head, "I'm done."

Jack nodded and looked up, "I'm Jack, Hiro's mentor. Like him, I lost a sibling, my baby sister, years ago to my parent's abuse. I was tossed around a lot, troublemaker, you know. But I was adopted and now I have an excellent job, an amazing fiancé, and a great life. And I'm going to say I like penguins. What's not to like, right?"

Rapunzel smiled fondly at him and then looked at the group, "I'm Rapunzel, I'm the fiancé and Moana's mentor." she giggled, "I'm here because I lost my parents when I was very young and was in a very abusive home for a long time. It wasn't until I came here that I got out and met my friends who saved my life. I also met my future mother, Ana, as well." she shifted, "Since this group, my life has been amazing, and I can't imagine where I would be without the people in this room." She smiled around at them and then laughed, "And I love chameleons."

"I'm Moana and I'm here from Hawaii. I needed to get away from my parents, too many expectations and all that. And leaving them meant that I had to leave my grandmother. She was truly my rock, she always believed in me. But sadly, she passed away a couple months ago and I never got to go and see her. We just couldn't get tickets in time and my parents didn't tell me until it was too late. They wanted me to come back and stay but I know she wanted me here, she knew I was happy." she nodded, "So, here I am. And, I love pigs and chickens!" she giggled.

"I'm Hiccup." Hiccup waved, "I'm Sherman's mentor. I started group a long time ago. My mom died when I was just a kid and I never really got along with my dad. He's remarried now, but I just really had a tough time living up to his standards and before I knew it, I was in an accident and lost my leg. I'm loads better now; I'm making prosthetic parts for people who need it and it's amazing. And as for my favorite animal, I like dragons. And yes, they do exist, just accept it."

Merida snorted at that as Sherman got started, "I'm Sherman and I'm a Freshman. I don't really remember much but I know that my dad told me he found me one day in an alleyway and wasn't sure where my real parents were. He at first wanted to take me to Children Services but told me he didn't have the heart to give me up, so he took me in and adopted me. He's a genius and we both really love history and science and math. He home schooled me for a long time. About a year ago, he made some people where he works mad and they, like Tip's dad, lied about him and I was almost taken away. I remember a lot about court and hearing all this stuff about me and my dad just, I don't know, maybe I shut it all out. But I decided to come to school so dad could find a new job and it's been hard, you know. I don't feel like I belong sometimes."

Hiccup patted his shoulder comfortingly and Sherman perked up, "But, anyways, I really like Amphibians. I can tell you everything there is to know about them, but Hiccup has been helping me reign in the 'smart stuff'." He laughed.

Merida grinned at him, "I'm Merida and I'll just start by saying that I love horses, I have one of my own in fact. I joined the group a long time ago because, well, let's just say I made a lot of mistakes and got into a bad crowd. But I got better, made new friends and rekindled old ones," she winked at Hiccup, "And now I'm living with the love of my life and working as a congresswoman to help rid the streets of drugs."

Riley shifted a little and took a breath, "I'm Riley, Freshman too, and I just moved from California at the start of school. My dad keeps getting new jobs and we move around a lot. It's been hard for me and I'll just come out and admit that I have not exactly made the best choices. But thanks to this group I'm meeting a lot of people who make me better, happier. And as for my favorite animal, I like elephants."

Ana nodded and then looked over at Arlo who was starting to turn the color of his sweater.

"I'm…Arlo and…I just moved here." He took a breath, "I uh…I'm sorry I'm just…"

"Take your time, Arlo." Ana said calmly.

"My dad he…he was killed in a really bad storm…he was driving and yelling at me for something and…there wasn't anything I could do…" He started crying and held his face in his hands, "It's my fault, I should have just done what he asked but I was too scared and…"

"Arlo, something like that you can't control, man." Hiro piped in, "I tried to stop my brother from going into that building but he didn't listen."

"What was he yelling at you about? I mean if that's okay." Vanellope asked.

Arlo wiped his eyes, "I was supposed to take out the compost. He owned a restaurant and we got a lot of critters. It was dark and storming and I didn't do it and a critter got in and made a huge mess." He shook his head, "I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, whatever that all means."

"For those who don't know," Ana educated, "GAD, as counselors call it sometimes, just means that you deal with a lot of physical and emotional anxiety daily, sometimes it doesn't take much to trigger it, it just happens. And as for Panic Disorder, that just means that when you get anxious or something triggers you, you have what we all know as a panic attack. It is nothing to be ashamed of and with good support and guidance, many can recover fully from this."

"That makes sense, my parents said I was born scared." Arlo shrugged, "My brother and sister are so brave and I'm just…"

"Everyone is scared of something; some people are just more scared of things than others." Riley piped in, "I'm terrified of clowns."

"I'm scared of fires now, like loud explosions and stuff." Hiro admitted.

"Spiders and the dark." Tip nodded; she had a haunted look on her face as she said it.

"I'm scared of dark tight spaces and belts." Rapunzel admitted.

"When I hear tires squealing, I flinch and freeze up." Hiccup nodded.

"See Arlo, each of us has something we fear, and bravery doesn't always mean you have to face your fears and deal with it, bravery comes when we are ready for it." Ana nodded.

"Thank you, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Arlo smiled, wiping his face on his sleeve again.

"So…what animal do you like?" Vanellope asked sweetly.

"I actually really like dinosaurs." Arlo shrugged, "I know they don't exist anymore, but I always liked them."

"Thank you, Arlo, for being willing to share that with us." Ana said, "All of us in this room can relate to having to tell our story and how scary it is the first time."

"I told everyone there was nothing wrong with me." Riley snorted, "Merida totally called me out."

"Sharing is healing for a lot of us." MK added, "It was so hard for me to even mention my mom without just crying so much. Now I feel like she's still with me, now more than ever."

"Tip, are you okay?" Ana asked.

Jack turned to see Tip had tears just streaming down her face and she seemed lost in her own world.

She jumped and looked up, "Sorry, I sort of traveled." She admitted, wiping her face with her hand. MK put a hand on her shoulder.

"Would you be open to sharing today?" Ana asked, "I know we talked a lot earlier, but I know a few people in this room give some wonderful support." She added.

Tip nodded and blew a breath, "I was just, you know when you hear or see something and it just…takes you back to that moment, I just had that when we talked about fears and stuff."

"I'm sorry!" Arlo cut in, "I didn't mean to do that to you."

"Oh, no, it's okay!" Tip shook her head, "We do that here, we talk about what we need to so we can heal, and no one here really knows some of this stuff."

"What she means is that, no one in here is ever to be sorry for speaking." Ana explained and then nodded for Tip to continue.

"Anyways…I was…and…I hope I don't trigger anyone or scare anybody, but…there was this…place my stepmom invented just for me when she thought I was being, how we say, extra bad."

Jack dared a glance at Rapunzel who seemed to be unable to take her eyes off Tip.

"She had my dad dig this hole in the basement, like super deep. There was a board from an old cellar door that they used to keep it covered. It was seriously like something out of Silence of the Lambs."

Everyone barely breathed.

"She'd throw me down in the pit, leave me there for a while and then have my dad come get me out just to whoop me." She shivered and rubbed her arms, "There were spiders down there, it was dark and cold. And now these people want to visit me? Like it never happened!" she cried and shook her head in anger, "Fucking…no!" she banged a fist on her chair and sobbed, "I'm sorry, I never talk about that ever. I'm just, I don't know what I'll do if I see them."

Rapunzel got up and went to her and crouched before her, taking her hands in hers, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Do you understand me?" she told her in a soft voice, "You have a voice and they cannot and will not ignore that."

"She's right." Merida said, "I can make some calls Tip, I know some people who work in Children Services, we can argue against it, but we need you to tell us why. If I can find someone for you to tell this to, and help you and your mother, would you be willing to let me help?"

"You can…you can do that?" Tip said in astonishment, "Like, I can just say no and…"

"Yes, they have advocates now who can help be that voice." Merida explained, "Times are different and there are people who can help you, but sadly, a lot of times people don't realize or know that."

"The first step is always to speak, never stay silent." Rapunzel explained, "I know I was afraid to speak and by staying silent it only hurt more and more."

"I know that," Tip sniffled, "I just…didn't know what to think when we got that call today, you know."

"We're here for you, Tip. You can talk to us any time." Moana chimed in.

"Tip, thank you for sharing. All of you, thank you for your stories and your support in this room." Ana said, "I think now is an appropriate time to begin with some closing so we can all leave in a good space."

Rapunzel came back to her seat and Jack held her hand and squeezed it tight.

"Arlo, since it's your first time, one of our favorite closing activities is to each of us say one thing we appreciate or admire about the person next to us. Today, let's do counterclockwise."

"Can I start?" Hiro raised his hand, "I really think Tip is one of the strongest people in here. It takes guts to talk about that stuff and I know that you have a smile on your face every day but I think we can all relate that the smile is just sort of, well it's what we do to deal with our stuff. It's awesome you just let your guard down like that."

"Thank you, Hiro." Tip smiled warmly, "Um…MK is so amazing and we both love to talk about our mom's. She just makes sure I feel loved a little extra."

"You are loved." MK smiled, "I appreciate Nod for always being there for me and taking that time out of his busy schedule just for me. We seem to always have a lot of fun."

"Thanks' babe." Nod grinned, "And, I really love that Vanellope speaks her mind. Not a lot of kiddos can do that."

"I really like that even though you're new to the group Arlo," Vanellope began, "You just fit right in with us. If anyone gives you a hard time you come find me."

Arlo seemed to just glow with that statement and color began to come back to his face, "I feel like…a lot better now. Thanks everyone and, thank you Miss Ana for inviting me and letting me do this."

"You are most welcome, Arlo, we are so glad to have you." Ana smiled, "And I just love that Riley is beginning to show us how kind and creative she really is. Thank you for giving this a chance, Riley."

"It wasn't so hard." Riley shrugged with a laugh, "I really love that Merida is strong and that even today she is willing to help someone. She knows all these great people and can use them to help kids like us."

Merida beamed "I am so grateful that Hiccup has found a great mentee in Sherman. You are so smart and brilliant. You are going to shine."

Sherman's spirits lifted considerably at that, "I really like that Hiccup wants to help people too, people who are different. We talk a lot about our dad's and he's just easy to go to and I feel like I'm wanted, you know."

Hiccup nodded, "Anytime, man." He looked up and turned to Moana, "I admire that Moana came all the way to this itty-bitty town and is willing to be a part of this school and group. You do a lot here, I know, and Berk Academy is lucky to have you."

"Thank you!" Moana smiled brightly, "I'm so lucky to be here. And I just love how Rapunzel and I really click. She's sweet and fun and creative and I never have a problem just calling her if I need anything."

Rapunzel turned to Jack and he prayed he would keep it together.

"I love that from day one, I can't think of a time when you weren't this amazing presence in my life, Jack. I love you so much, you make my world so fun and bright."

Jack squeezed her hand and nodded, he leaned down to kiss her forehead and then turned to Hiro, "I don't know how to follow Hiro's amazing lead." He chuckled, "Hiro, you are smart and talented. You have a gift and I know you are going to find that thing that just makes you want to do everything in your power to keep it going. Don't stop searching, alright."

Hiro nodded.

Ana smiled around the room, "Thank you everyone, I will see you all very soon."

Jack and Rapunzel stood up and per ritual, they went around the room to talk with the mentors and mentees, checking in and giving hugs and support. Rapunzel and Merida gave Tip their numbers to call while Jack hugged Vanellope who was talking to Arlo.

Soon kids were leaving one by one as parents arrived or mentors left to give them a ride home.

Ana cleaned up and Jack looked around the room, remembering his first time coming to group. He was an original member as it started when he was just a freshman. Now it was still going and helping so many kids, good kids.

He looked over to see Rapunzel hugging Ana and Merida. Hiccup came over to him and nodded. He and Jack understood how significant it was to stand there, years later, survivors and with two of the most beautiful souls to be by their sides.

"So, when you finally going to pop the question?" Jack asked Hiccup out of earshot of Merida.

"I don't know, wouldn't want to steal your thunder." Hiccup laughed.

"Keep me posted, it better be good." Jack chuckled.

"Oh, trust me, I got this." Hiccup laughed, "Want to get dinner sometime? Meet up at the pub?"

"That sounds great, I'll get you my schedule this week. I could use a few."

"Boss still giving you a hard time?" Hiccup asked with concern.

Jack rubbed his eyes, "I don't know. If it weren't for my clients…"

"You know there are other tattoo shops." Hiccup explained, "You aren't obligated to stay there."

"I know, just, I want to save money for me and Punzie and get a house, maybe my own business. Plus, with her being back at school I can't up and leave right now."

"I get it, if you need anything- "

"I know, thanks man." Jack smiled at him.

Hiccup patted Jack's shoulder and nodded then looked over at Merida, "Guess it's time to hit the hay."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack chuckled, "See you this week?"

"This week." Hiccup nodded and waved as he walked towards the door.

Authors Note:

Phew, sorry if that was heavy. I took a lot of inspiration from movies like Big Hero 6, Moana, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Home. However, some of the scenarios described are obviously not from movies but from actual client stories I have heard in my time as a therapist. Please if you are in danger or someone you love is in danger, reach out for help and talk to someone!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

***Trigger Warning: situations of child abuse, sexual child abuse implications, grief/loss, and drug use.

Jack started cleaning his workspace with a smile on his face. He just got done with another client who had requested a very detailed looking cross on her arm. The wood structure had to really pop and the thorns for the crown also had to look sharp and poignant. He always enjoyed the details, it gave him a chance to add hints of his style, especially when color was involved.

He was almost done and ready to prepare for his next client when his boss, Viggo, came around the corner. Jack was always surprised at how polite the guy sounded, considering all he ever wore were dark sleeveless leather outfits, his tattoos of violence covered his arm and his dark facial hair gave him this mean look. But whenever he spoke, he had an air of smoothness and silk that could calm anyone in a room.

"Jack." Viggo said with a small smile.

"Viggo." Jack smiled back, "Nice to see you."

"Likewise. I thought I'd check in after hearing some good news brought to my attention."

Jack looked at him and wondered which good news he meant. He couldn't remember if he'd told everyone at his work about himself and Rapunzel.

Viggo quickly cleared that up, "It's my understanding that you've been doubling your client list very nicely."

Jack seemed surprised, but nodded, "It's awesome; I had a couple clients do some referrals. So far I've had some real winners."

"I have to say I'm a little worried though, all those clients?" Viggo admitted.

"It's nothing," Jack shrugged as he finished wiping his chair, "besides I could use the extra money right now."

"Oh?" Viggo asked, intrigued.

"Yeah." Jack beamed, "Rapunzel and I are getting ready for our wedding."

"How delightful!" Viggo nodded a small gleam in his eye, "Then I'm glad it's picking up for you."

"Thanks!" Jack agreed, "It couldn't come at a better time."

"Good, good. So," He clapped his hands together, "that is perfect as I was hoping you could help to gather some potential pieces of art for the next convention, not a lot, just enough pieces that could really get us noticed here, you know, catch the eye of some very important people."

"What are you thinking?" Jack asked intrigued, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"Well, we have done a spectacular job with portraits, piercings, and detail, but, I'm wanting more color."

"You've come to the right guy." Jack smiled, "I've been doing a ton of those lately."

"Excellent, I knew I could count on you." Viggo grinned, "Send some pictures to me by Saturday."

"When's the convention?" Jack asked, wondering if this time Viggo wouldn't go behind his back and include Jack for sure.

"Not for another two months," Viggo clarified, obviously not forgetting their past conflict, "I predict that if we plan well enough in advance, we could easily take first prize this year, maybe even further."

"States?" Jack nearly gasped. They'd only ever won local competitions. Very rarely did a shop in his town get that far.

"Nationals." Viggo clarified.

"Viggo, that's…"

"Impossible? Nonsense. What with all the work you're doing, I do believe we will get there, lad."

Jack felt a little nervous now. If Viggo really wanted to get to the top, then he had to represent the best way he could. It was a lot of pressure but at the same time, what if it got him more recognition? Maybe one day his own shop?

"You won't be disappointed." Jack nodded.

"Wonderful!" Viggo said, patting Jack on the shoulder, "Saturday then?"

"Saturday." Jack nodded. Sure, it was Tuesday, but he had a lot of ideas stored away at home. He was bound to find something that would work and add more to it.

He couldn't wait to tell Rapunzel, maybe this year she'd go with him to the convention. He knew she had been wanting a very nice piece for her back. He had a feeling she'd help him out with that no problem.

He checked his watch and knew he had to press a little for time to meet Hiccup for drinks later. Luckily the next piece was small and easy to do. He just had to be sure to be careful. Sometimes the smaller they were the harder they were.

Jack couldn't shake his happiness off the rest of day, even after his last client left and he hopped on his motorcycle to get to the local bar where he met Hiccup every week. He felt like for once things were finally going his way. Maybe Viggo had come around and this could be it for Jack, a shot at the top. He kept that thought with him as he parked and found their usual spot in the corner. He quickly ordered his usual and texted Rapunzel that he'd made it to the bar and would be home in at least a couple of hours. Not that she minded, with Hiccup and Jack hanging out it only meant Merida and Rapunzel could talk wedding stuff. He remembered Rapunzel say something about color schemes and knew he would have to decide with her soon. He had to admit that was probably the hardest part, picking what they wanted without going overboard. They had so many ideas and it was nearly impossible to just pick one thing and let it go.

Hiccup walked in and shrugged off his brown leather jacket and came over to Jack. He too looked like he'd had a good day but also had something on his mind. The crease between his brows seemed evident enough.

"Merida just made it to your place." Hiccup said as he sat down, "I guess that means we'll finally know what the colors are." He laughed.

"We wish." Jack snorted as he took a swig of his drink.

"So, busy day, I take it?" Hiccup asked as soon as he'd ordered his usual and waited.

"Three in a row." Jack nodded, "Plus a visit from Viggo."

Hiccup looked at him curiously, "What did he want?"

Jack smiled a little, not being able to contain it any longer. Without hesitating he told Hiccup about what he and Viggo had discussed. Hiccup's eyes widened a little, "National level!" He could barely keep his drink down it was so insane, "Jack, that'd be amazing but-"

"I know." Jack nodded, "Insane as well."

"This could be a great thing for you." Hiccup agreed.

"Right? And to think I always assumed Viggo didn't care for my work or anything." Jack nodded as he downed the last of his first draft.

"Just be careful, man. Remember what he did to you in the past." Hiccup pointed out as he gulped his drink.

"I know," Jack agreed, "but the fact that he told me about it and wants me involved, maybe this will be different." Jack said with hope, "Hiccup this could be it."

Hiccup still looked nervous about it but couldn't help but smile, "It could be. Just imagine Jack, your own tattoo business."

"It's almost too good to be true." Jack agreed, "But, I really feel that things are starting to look up. Like it's all falling into place. Me and Rapunzel, you and Merida, my job and her school."

Hiccup had to agree with him but Jack once again noticed the crease between his brows, "Hey, can I ask you something?" Hiccup suddenly blurted out.

"Sure." Jack laughed as he ordered another drink.

Hiccup genuinely looked nervous and Jack had to wonder why. He put down his drink and Jack could see his hands shake a little.

"I know that right now, it's about you and Rapunzel," Hiccup started, "but there's something…"

Jack leaned in, even more curious than before.

"Jack, I want to do it. I want to ask her." Hiccup finally spat out.

Jack's eyes widened, "You mean…"

Hiccup nodded, "My dad polished and resized my mom's ring. I had Elinor help figure out her ring size for me. Jack, I want to ask Merida to marry me."

Jack nearly dropped his beer as he pulled Hiccup in for a hug, "Hiccup! Holy shit!"

Hiccup was smiling and reached into his pocket to show Jack. It was a beautiful ring, a simple silver band that had a knot design in the middle and a tiny diamond in the middle of the knot.

"Hiccup, this is…this is so amazing." Jack nodded, "She's going to love it."

"I know, I just don't know when." Hiccup sighed, pocketing the ring.

"You could totally propose at the wedding shower, or our wedding." Jack offered.

"No, Merida would kill me." Hiccup laughed, "She's the maid of honor, she's going to be barking out orders and going nuts."

Jack had to agree with that, "So, do you know what you might do?"

"I actually think I do." Hiccup nodded, picking up his drink and taking another long gulp.

Jack nodded in expectation, "What is it?"

"Don't laugh." Hiccup warned.

"You know I won't." Jack teased.

Hiccup paused a minute and then nodded, "I'm going to ask her at Group."

Jack almost did laugh, "What?"

"I know it sounds very weird but…but Group was when we finally started to be friends again, me and her. It got us both talking again and because of Group, I fell in love with her all over again." He paused and looked to Jack, "Group was with our friends and people we cared about, you know? It's always been like that."

"Hiccup, that's actually a really good idea." Jack nodded.

"Plus," Hiccup added as he pocketed the ring, "I really think the kids would enjoy seeing Merida turn the color of her hair when I ask her." He snorted.

Jack couldn't deny it was kind of brilliant, at least way better than his engagement.

He shuddered as he thought about it; poor Rapunzel had been stressed out about school and work. He too had been stressed, mostly because he was wanting everything to be perfect that night. He had taken her out to dinner at some fancy place trying to be romantic, only both were dirt poor and couldn't really buy anything. He barely spoke two words to her until she broke down crying and ran to the bathroom thinking he was breaking up with her.

It had a happy ending at least but he knew it could have been way better, so compared to Jack's proposal, Hiccup's was damn beautiful.

"Do it." Jack finally spoke, "Hiccup she's going to love it."

Hiccup looked up and brightened, "You really think so?"

"I know so. Honestly, I wish I'd thought of that for my proposal." Jack admitted.

Hiccup cringed a little at the memory of when Jack had told him. He and Rapunzel still act like it never happened, as if she suddenly had a ring on her finger and the engagement was on for no real reason. He shook his head slightly and then breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thanks Jack."

"You know she'll say yes, right?" Jack chuckled.

"I know, maybe add a curse word in there too and we'd be on track." Hiccup laughed.

Both toasted to their luck and Jack had a feeling that things would go smoothly. Everyone he loved was happy; hell, even Flynn was doing well in New York, finally getting some acting gigs on Broadway.

He decided it was high time he go home to Rapunzel and tell her all the good news, except the part about Hiccup proposing; that had to be a surprise. And if Jack knew anything at all it was that Rapunzel loved surprises.

….

_Jack winced and grit his teeth as the belt stung his back for the twelfth time in a row. He bit his lip so hard in the beginning he could taste copper in his mouth. He stood there, bracing for each blow and tried his hardest not to cry out. He knew crying out only made it worse. He managed to open his eyes for a second and saw Emma looking down the stairway at him, tears coating her cheeks with a shimmer in the light. It was another beating he gladly took for her and she knew it. He could only meet her eyes and nod quickly before his dad or mom noticed. _

_Jack then peeked a glance at his mother sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette and watching TV in the other room. He could see beer cans and liquor bottles litter the floor. He smelled the gut wrenching odor of stale cigarettes. He even saw the tiny pricks in his mother's arm from where she put the needles in to shoot up. _

_This was his father's favorite past time he was sure of it; strip Jack down to his boxers and beat him senseless. Sometimes if that wasn't enough Jack was their designated literal punching bag. But Jack suffered through it. He had to for Emma's sake. _

_It wasn't long before their friends would be over, more drug dealing and drinking. That meant Jack had to high tail it upstairs fast before anyone came over. _

"_Will you keep it the fuck down!" His mother roared at his dad, "It's obvious a whooping doesn't do it no more, just bring him here." _

_His dad lowered the belt and Jack cringed as his dad shoved him forward where his mother grabbed his arm and then stung him without a second thought with her cigarette butt. Jack clenched his teeth and tears began to fall. He couldn't scream, wouldn't scream. _

"_There." She barked, letting him go so he could hold his arm tightly, "That'll teach you to fucking clean up after yourself. Now get the hell upstairs and stay there." _

_Jack did as told, rushing past his dad who was adjusting his belt and snorting like he had gunk in his mouth, most likely chewing tobacco. _

_He saw Emma at the top of the stairs and nodded to her to quickly go. She got up and both ran swiftly to his room where he shut the door and ushered her to bed. _

"_Jack…" she sniffled._

"_I'm fine, Em," he smiled, "Just a little burn that's all."_

_He helped tuck her into bed and found her favorite toy, a dirty old teddy bear. He quickly kissed her forehead and promised to come back soon. He needed to wash his burn, it really did hurt. _

_He opened the door and peeked out carefully. He could hear guests already arriving, bottles were being passed around, and people were laughing and joking. He could smell more tobacco and stale beer, but he was used to it at this point. _

_He saw his chance and ran to the bathroom to clean his arm. He didn't dare look in the mirror for fear of what he'd see; a broken, battered little kid, at least that's what he always saw when he looked in the mirror. _

_He rubbed his eyes and then decided he needed to get back to Emma. As he crept down the hall he suddenly heard Emma's name and froze. _

"_She isn't old enough." He heard his dad tell someone, "Try Martin's kid, she's at least fifteen." _

"_Doesn't matter, the younger they are the more they don't remember." The other guy laughed and then Jack heard a snort…the white stuff, they sniffed it up. Jack always thought that was the creepiest thing. He hated when water got in his nose so why would anyone sniff up a bunch of stuff purposefully? _

"_Nah, when she's older, I won't give a damn." His dad said gruffly. _

"_You know you're going to have to pay up sometime." The guy told him, "She'll do for the time being might as well buy you some time." _

"_I told you, I'll get the money. But if you want her that bad, ask her mother, I don't give two shits." _

_Jack's stomach dropped. What did they want with his sister? He couldn't help it, he crept closer to the stairs, careful to stay out of sight as much as possible. Besides he didn't want to look, he just needed to hear. _

_Before he knew it, he heard his mom cackling, "Fuck, I don't care, I was like, what, six or something? She won't even remember it, just be quick." _

_Jack heard footsteps and his heart pounded in his chest. He backed up but not fast enough. He looked to see one of his parents' frequent visitors with pale dirty skin, sunken eyes, shaggy blonde hair, and teeth so rotten Jack wasn't sure if they were even real anymore. He looked down at Jack and smiled a toothy grin, "Hey little man. Where's your sister?" _

_Jack swallowed thickly._

"_Relax, I won't tell them you're up." He chuckled, "Hell I used to stay up all the time and listen to my parents." _

"_Y-you can t-take me…" Jack suddenly blurted out._

"_What?" The guy asked, looking puzzled._

"_I can…Emma isn't good enough anyways…take me instead." _

_The guy stared at Jack a long while then tilted his head a little, "What in God's name you talking about?" _

"_You don't want Emma…I'm better." Jack tried, "I'm older, and my parents don't care…please, you can take me." _

"_Hell, I ain't taking your sister." The guy laughed, "I just want to have a little fun with her is all." _

"_What?" Jack asked in confusion. _

"_You know, play a little." He added with a wink. _

_Jack stared at him in confusion and terror. _

"_You don't know much do you." The guy shook his head with a small laugh. _

"_I…well…"_

"_You want to find out?" he asked. _

"_What?"_

"_You want to see what I really mean? You might as well learn now, you're old enough I'd say." _

"_O…Ok, but…Emma's asleep, she'll scream. I can be quiet though." Jack said quickly, "The bathroom, no one hears us there."_

"_You really want to do this?"_

"_Yeah, you don't want to do anything to Emma, she'll scream a lot. Mom and dad will be pissed. I don't cry." Jack told him. _

_To be honest, Jack had no clue what the man or his parents were talking about. All he wanted was to make sure no one went into his sister's room, he didn't want anyone to touch her, to hit her, or to take her from him. He was so naïve but had good intentions, always, for his sister. He could hardly make out the hallway, the bathroom, at that point it got fuzzy for him. And little did he know what he had set himself up for, all for his sister…_

…

"Jack? Jack!" Rapunzel screamed.

Jack awoke with a gasp and shot out of bed, clutching his chest. His throat hurt, and his face felt hot and sweaty. He stood there, his legs buckling. He shook, but not from the cold.

Rapunzel got slowly out of bed and came to him, "Jack…Jack what is it?"

Jack didn't even know what to say or do, he could barely breathe right.

"Jack please talk to me." Rapunzel said with tears in her eyes, she reached out slowly to him and he finally lowered his eyelids and opened them to see her in front of him, looking terrified and sad at the same time. He'd never done this. He had night terrors, sure, they both did. But he never acted this way when he woke from a dream.

"I-I'm…I'm fine." Jack's teeth chattered, and he shook violently. He slowly relaxed and Rapunzel finally came over to him to put her arms around him, "Jack…" she breathed.

"I'm sorry." Jack managed to move his arms around her to embrace her tightly, "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" she asked him, moving back slightly and pushing his sweaty hair from his eyes.

"I…" Jack started, but for some reason, he couldn't finish. He looked deep into Rapunzel's eyes, wondering if he should tell her. This was something he never told anyone; not North, not Ana, not Hiccup, not Flynn…no one. He had pushed it so far back, he'd almost convinced himself that it was all a nightmare, all of it.

"I don't know." he lied, looking down and unable to meet her gaze. What in the world would she think of him knowing that he'd been through that and never told anyone? He knew it wasn't right, but he was so happy now, so happy to just let it all go. So, no way was he going to rehash it. It was over now, and no one needed to know.

"I don't know." He repeated and shook his head, "Just…a lot…" he tried.

She looked at him sadly, her hands on his face, caressing his cheeks softly, "Jack you sounded so scared."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He told her, trying his hardest to push it all away in his mind before he broke down, "I'm okay now, just…need some water is all."

She nodded, "Let me get it for you- "

"No, it's okay." He rushed, carefully pushing her away and walking out of the room, "I think I need to walk anyways."

He left her standing there and felt like such a terrible person. He'd practically mortified her and now he was hiding his darkest secret from her. Hell, it was so hidden, not even Emma knew about it before she died. But he knew the minute he opened that door…no, he had so much good in his life now, it had to stay shut.

He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face and on his neck. He took at least five deep breaths before looking up and opening his eyes.

A little boy, dirty and beaten, with deep brown eyes and shaggy brown hair stared back at him. Behind him in the mirror, a toothy grin stared back.

Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. _Never again…_

…

Jack attempted to bury his secret once more into the deepest recesses of his brain and managed to act like nothing happened the next day. Rapunzel didn't bring it up again but he had a feeling she still had questions and was only giving him space. Both had learned, mostly him, that sometimes it was best to give the other one time before jumping them with questions. He remembered Ana and North telling him that multiple times when all he wanted to do was help Rapunzel. What was good about this practice was that now he had time to come up with something to tell her and then move on.

He felt glad his work kept him busy all day and the thought of becoming a well known tattoo artist with the help of Viggo was a plus. By the time he was headed to the school for his mentoring he had his usual smile plastered on his face and felt ten times better than the night before.

He walked in and remembered that Merida, Rapunzel nor Nod could make it that day. Not to mention Hiro and Sherman were away at an academic tournament. That didn't mean things couldn't go on as usual for the group. He smiled at the new kid, Arlo, who still looked terrified but was settling in and talking to Riley who obviously had a wonderous affect on his anxiety.

He was happy to see them both laugh at something she had said and he could tell he was starting to come out of his shell bit by bit.

"Hi Jack!" Moana said as she came up behind him, carrying a mountain of books.

Jack reached out and helped her out by taking some from her and putting them on a table nearby, "How are you, Miss Bookworm?" he teased.

She sighed, looking somewhat flustered, "I have a big exam next weekend, I think I made a mistake signing up for early SAT's and ACT's."

Jack cringed for her, he was terrible at tests, "I have a strong feeling you're going to be amazing!" he said supportively.

She smiled gratefully at him, "Thanks Jack. I'm sad Rapunzel couldn't make it today." She admitted as they walked towards the circle of chairs.

"She told me to tell you she is wishing you well and thinking of you." He told her, "We can buddy up today, my mentee is trying to get his grades up at the tournament."

Moana giggled, "I heard him and Sherman arguing yesterday before the bus came to get them."

Jack chuckled and shook his head, "I hope they didn't put those two in a room together."

"Tell me about it." Hiccup suddenly said from behind them. He was panting like he'd been racing to get there on time even though he was technically early. He brushed his shaggy hair away from his eyes and sat down with a huff next to Jack.

"Somebody got caught up at work." Jack teased him.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and then smiled over at the others who were coming in, "Hey Arlo." He called over, "You and I are teaming up today since Sherman's not here."

Arlo looked like he'd won a magical prize as his eyes lit up, "Really?"

Hiccup tried not to laugh, "Yeah, come on over." He smiled warmly.

Riley smiled at him encouragingly as he came and sat next to Hiccup who extended his hand to shake Arlo's, "I'm Hiccup by the way."

Arlo shook his hand and nodded shyly.

Ana came in just then and gathered everyone to sit. Jack noticed Vanellope had snuck up on him and grabbed his neck for a hug. He laughed and touseled her hair, "You nut." He teased.

She giggled and went to sit next to Moana, "You want to be my partner today?" she asked them, "Nod isn't coming."

"Sorry, no sister's allowed." Jack teased.

She stuck his tongue out at him and Moana laughed.

MK had come in and sat down by Vanellope, "Looks like its you, me and Riley today." She smiled.

"Where's Tip?" Vanellope asked.

MK looked down sadly but then smiled, "She's feeling pretty sick today, so she went home early."

"Bummer, but at least now I don't have to deal with my dumb older brother." Vanellope laughed.

"Love you too." Jack smiled proudly.

"Alright!" Miss Ana said with a smile, "While I'm sad some of our crew couldn't make it today, I'm glad for those of you who could."

They all nodded and Ana continued, "Today we'll just keep it low key and review a crowd favorite; cognitive distortions!"

A few of the group members groaned and Ana laughed, "I know, it's a hard topic but I for one would love to see where you all have landed when it comes to your own personal cognitive distortions."

Moana suddenly raised her hand, "I do have something!" she smiled.

"Alright then, Moana, take it away!" Ana smiled fondly.

"Okay, so…" Moana began, "I remember one of the cognitive distortions that I had was should statements."

"Let's remind the group what that is exactly." Miss Ana encouraged.

Moana nodded, "So, should statements are like the idea that you have to be this way or you should be doing something, there's no in between, it's like, right and wrong."

"Very good." Miss Ana nodded, "And how did you tackle that one recently?"

"Well, at the beginning of the year, I remember I kept telling my family that I should only go to a school in Hawaii because I had to be with my family and help out there. Everyone kept telling me I didn't have to but I just kept saying that I should and I did have to, even though I really didn't need to feel that way."

"Why did you feel like you had to go back home and help?" Ana asked her.

"At first, it was mostly for my grandmother, I was worried about not seeing her or not being there for her when she died, but…it happened and it made me hate myself for not doing what I felt I should have done."

She took a breath and put on a smile, "But after coming here and talking to everyone in my family, I realized that, my grandmother wouldn't want me to miss out on everything just for her. She would want me to explore and I don't have to do anything out of a sense of duty but more what I feel is right for me."

"That's wonderful, Moana." Ana smiled, "By processing your grief and talking to your family and friends, you found a sense of purpose that you never knew you had in you."

Moana nodded, "I did, and now I'm studying for different colleges. I don't know where I'll end up but it's okay cause it's more fun than feeling like I 'should' be somewhere."

"Excellent, does anyone else have some progress they wanted to share? Or maybe a challenge?"

Riley sighed loudly and raised her hand, "I'm still 'mind-reading'." She admitted.

"Let's explore that then." Ana said encouragingly.

Riley straightened herself and began, "So, I was going to try out for a local hockey team and I completely bombed it."

"What happened?" Ana asked with sympathy.

"I just…it's like everything I ever knew about the sport was tossed in the trash or something. All those other girls were so much better than me and when they called my name I just felt like they were staring at me and thinking I sucked. Well, turns out they were right." She grumbled in disappointment.

MK rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"It sounds like more than one cognitive distortion got in your way that day, huh?" Miss Ana commented.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, I don't know why I thought they hated me, I don't even know them. And I just got so mad I left without saying anything."

"It's easy to get frustrated when you feel you lose control over your own emotions and thoughts." Ana nodded.

"Miss Ana?" Arlo asked timidly, "Umm, you said she had another distortion and I don't really know those."

Miss Ana nodded understandingly, "Of course, thank you for asking Arlo and what a good observation you made! Yes, Riley, can you find the other distortion you used that day?"

Riley thought for a minute, "Was it discounting or disqualifying the positive?"

"Yes and there's actually another one!" Miss Ana nodded, "You made a comment about the other girls being better than you so that meant that you were not as good as them. You're right in disqualifying the positive because by trying out for a hockey team, that alone makes you talented enough, but then, you dabbled in fortune telling and then mind reading which only made your worries lose control."

Riley nodded, "Yeah, I did."

"Can you try out again?" Moana asked Riley.

Riley nodded, "Mom convinced me to give it another go, but I'm still not sure."

"Hey," Jack finally cut in, "I used to think like that a lot, I still do, but when I finally just told myself that I was good enough, it really made a difference. Even if I had to fake it, the confidence became real."

"Really?" Riley asked him, "How did you do that?"

Jack grinned and chuckled a little, "Good example was I told myself that I could practically fly on the field and I didn't hate the people on my team. After that tryout, I made an excellent lacrosse player."

Riley smiled at him, "So if I tell myself that I'm a great hockey player, then…"

Jack nodded encouragingly, "Sometimes it's okay to believe we can be more than we think. That confidence gets us through and we don't even realize it until it's over."

Riley smiled at him, "Yeah. You're right. I'm going to try out again."

A few of the members cheered for her.

"Now you're tackling those distortions, Riley." Miss Ana clapped.

Riley sat back, feeling better and nodding to herself.

Arlo raised his hand nervously again and Miss Ana motioned for him to speak.

"So, these distortions, are they bad if you have them?" he asked timidly.

"Oh no," Miss Ana confirmed, "Everyone has them and sometimes they are there for a reason, it doesn't mean you're bad or that they're bad. It's more of a challenge to tackle when you feel you are being held back by your own negative thoughts and feelings."

"So," Arlo tried, "When I get scared, like, when I'm alone in the dark, I feel like something bad is going to happen and that's when things go very bad for me. What is that?"

"Can anyone guess?"

"Sounds like magnifying glass," Vanellope said aloud, "Am I right?"

Miss Ana grinned, "Magnifying, yes, that is a good catch, Vanellope."

"What is that?" Arlo asked in a worried voice.

"It just means that something like being alone in the dark conjures up a bigger and more terrifying image to you, making the problem bigger than it actually is." She explained.

"Oh," Arlo nodded, "Yeah, like what Vanellope said about the magnifying glass, like a small bug made to look bigger and scarier."

"Exactly." Miss Ana smiled.

"So how can I stop it?" Arlo asked in a hopeful voice.

"It's not about stopping it," She explained patiently, "It's more about you gradually conquering smaller fears and being able to tell yourself that the small things can't hurt you and eventually you can work on the bigger things that scare you. Over time and with a lot of support and practice, you can learn to tell yourself when and how to respond to fear in a way that doesn't hold you back."

Arlo smiled and for a moment he didn't look scared, it looked like someone had just held a book in front of his face and showed him the way. He had hope in his eyes as he looked up at Miss Ana, "I want to try. I want to be brave."

Miss Ana smiled back, "You will, Arlo, but remember to take your time, don't do this on your own, and be patient with yourself."

He nodded, "I will…Papa…Papa will be so proud." He said with tears in his eyes.

"We all are." Miss Ana told him.

Everyone nodded and Jack remembered a time when he too felt helpless, now look where he was. For a minute his vision blurred and a sinking pit came to his stomach and he nearly gagged at the feeling. He wasn't sure what happened but it was almost like something stopped his breathing and punched him in the stomach. He coughed loudly, causing everyone to look at him.

"Jack?" Hiccup asked him quietly, "You okay?"

"Yeah…" Jack choked out, pushing the feeling away as quickly as he could, "Yeah." he took a shuddering breath. He plastered a smile on his face and looked up, "I did that dumb thing where you swallow wrong and tear your throat to shreds."

Hiccup shook his head with a laugh and Miss Ana glanced at him briefly with a look of doubt but quickly smiled at him and nodded.

Jack avoided everyone's eyes but felt glad they were back to applauding Arlo. It was about him anyways. It was about all these kids. His story was over and no one needed to know. He had to get back to normal and fast.

He finally looked up to see Arlo being hugged by Moana and Riley and felt his heart lift at the sight. This was what it was about; group. It was about these kids coming together and finding their voice, just like he had. He hoped Arlo would conquer his fears and live a meaningful life full of adventure. He knew he had a long way to go but felt confident that with everyone around him, Arlo could do it.

…

Jack walked in the door and automatically knew that Rapunzel had had a rough day. Her bag and books were scattered on the table and in his heart he knew she was suffering. He'd been with her long enough to know when he needed to go to her.

He wondered for a moment where she was but it didn't take him long to go to the closet he'd set up for them. Sure enough, she was in there with a washcloth over her eyes, trying her hardest to relax under the little Christmas lights and glow in the dark stars.

He carefully settled in next to her and brought her to him gently.

"Rough day?" he asked her.

She took off the washcloth to reveal puffy and red eyes. She wrapped her arms around his middle and nodded sadly.

He kissed her head and held her tighter, "What's up?"

She released a shaky breath and broke from him to relax against the pillows, "I don't think I can do this." She admitted in a pitiful voice.

He relaxed opposite her and listened patiently.

She rubbed her eyes again, "I had to leave class early." she told him, "They were talking about trauma and all I could think about was group and feeling horrible I left Moana there alone today and how I couldn't handle dealing with any of this stuff."

Jack watched her sadly.

She continued as a tear fell down her cheek, "I told the teacher I had a headache and she was nice about it, but, what if I keep doing this and end up failing? What does that say about me as a counselor?"

Jack took her hand in his, "You know as well as I do that it's easy to feel like a failure on the first try."

She looked over at him as he continued, "Talk to your mom tomorrow and maybe she can help give you some pointers for how to work through this stuff. But you will be amazing when it's all over. I believe you will."

She wiped her cheek.

"And as for group, a lot of people were out today, you, Merida, Nod, Tip, Hiro and Sherman," He explained, "So me and Moana teamed up and it worked out. Yeah she missed you but it's understandable. We all have lives and she knows you love her."

She heaved a shuddering breath and nodded, "I know you're right, I just got to my own head again and I hate how I feel about myself."

He brought her in for another hug and rubbed her back, "It's going to be alright. And I'll be sure the both of us keep going."

"You shouldn't have to do this on your own," She argued, "You have things too that can get to you and I should be able to step up when you need me."

"Hey, I'm Jack Overland." He boasted, "I can overcome anything as long as I have you."

She smiled finally as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Let's grab a bite to eat," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the closet, "My treat."

She allowed him to get her out of the closet and both hugged eachother for a moment, just standing there together in the darkened room, "Hey, don't worry about me, okay?" he whispered to her, "You know I'm always here for you."

"I know, Jack. I love you so much." She breathed, sounding better than before, "And you're right, I'll talk to mom tomorrow about school. I think it will be nice to just see her for a bit."

"I should go visit Dad while I'm thinking about it." Jack chuckled, "He's probably needing some emotional support with Vanellope."

"I'm sure she's doing just fine." Rapunzel giggled.

Just then, Jack's phone rang and he groaned playfully as he answered it, "Hey Flynn."

Authors Note:

I guess you've figured out by now what Jack's story will entail. Once again, please contact someone who can help if you or anyone you know is in danger. And in case anyone asks, yes, Arlo will get a new mentor and I'm curious to hear your guesses!

Also for anyone who doesn't know, the character, Viggo, is from Dragons Race to the Edge on Netflix-highly recommend!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

***Trigger Warning: child sexual abuse implications, mentions of child abuse, grief and loss, past bullying, school violence discussions

Jack dropped Rapunzel off and headed over to his father's house to have a family dinner now that Flynn was visiting. It was a nice surprise to see him in town, considering he usually couldn't visit until the holidays. Luckily, he was working on a show not too far from Burgess and couldn't resist some of North's home cooking.

He parked and walked inside to the familiar scent of home cooked food that made his stomach growl. The house he grew up in hadn't changed at all, only difference being the sound of Vanellope's racing games she liked to play. But the warmth and comfort were never absent.

He made it to the kitchen to see his father busy at the stove cooking while Flynn leaned on the counter having a chat with him. Jack looked over towards the family room to see Vanellope engrossed in her racing game with headphones on.

Max, old and feeble now, barked as ferociously as he could while hobbling over to see Jack. Out of instinct, Jack kneeled to scratch behind his ears, earning a soft snort from the dog. Another thing that may have changed but one thing was still certain; the way Max and Flynn glared at one another across the room proved old rivalries didn't always die.

"Jack! Good to see you son!" his father boomed loudly, and Jack rushed over to quickly hug him, grateful to erase whatever negative and disgusting memories he might have had earlier that week. Flynn waved from the counter and Jack walked over to lean on the island across from where he stood.

"How's wedding planning?" Flynn asked him with a grin.

Jack rolled his eyes heavenward, "Exhausting."

North chuckled, "It will be here before you know it."

"About time." Flynn teased, "All I know is, the Bachelor Party better be epic."

"You know Hiccup will make sure of that." Jack chuckled.

"Unless there's a tiger in the hotel room, it wouldn't be a party." Flynn snorted.

"Stop watching movies." Jack groaned.

"Stop being a dick." Flynn grinned mischievously.

"Stop being an ass- "

"BOYS!" North warned in a stern but loving tone as the two grinned sheepishly.

"If you give me twenty bucks, I'll pretend I didn't hear you both curse." Vanellope smirked as she made her way to the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Jack before trying to sneak a cookie off the counter.

Flynn had a slight longing look in his eyes as he watched the two of them bond. Everyone understood though that he hadn't gotten a chance to really be around Vanellope when she first came to live with North, as he'd been in college. Jack however still had another year or so with her as he finished high school and that gave them time to bond and he could be the big brother he'd always wanted to be.

"So," Jack looked up at Flynn, "When do we get free Hamilton tickets?"

Flynn shook his head, "You and I both know that isn't happening. I can't even get them, and I work on Broadway."

"You should give them tickets as a wedding gift!" Vanellope pointed out.

"Not a bad idea Squirt." Flynn smiled as he walked by her and ruffled her messy hair.

"We'll take cash at this point." Jack grumbled and followed his siblings to the table where Flynn must have already set up.

"Jack, is everything alright at home?" North asked with concern as he began dishing out food.

"Oh yeah," Jack said quickly, "Work has been picking up and Rapunzel still has her job, but I know school is starting to get to her a little bit."

"It's a pretty big step." Flynn nodded but smiled warmly at him, "But I'm proud of her for going for it."

"Me too." Jack smiled; glad Rapunzel decided to spend some time with her mother tonight. He too felt a sense of comfort as he sat with his family around the table, laughing and catching up on their days. Vanellope was chatting consistently as she ate, and Flynn of course did his usual teasing towards both his siblings. He couldn't lie and admit he'd missed this, but he also would never regret finally moving in with Rapunzel, no matter how stressful it was.

"Well, I set the table, so now you clean." Flynn smirked at Jack who threw his napkin down with a grunt.

"Knew I should have come earlier!" he pouted.

Vanellope snorted, "You're both so dumb."

North chuckled and looked over at her, "Don't forget you need to finish your math."

She groaned, hoping she would have had more time to play her game, but she would never disappoint her adopted father. As much as she'd come a long way to trusting him, she still had that lingering fear in the back of her mind that if she screwed up even the tiniest amount, he'd abandon her like all the others before him.

"Jack…" she gave him an innocent look and he knew what was coming, "Do you think you could help me?"

"No problem," he grinned, "You get started so I can clean up then I'll come over and take a look."

"Deal!" she squealed happily and rushed off to find her bookbag.

"I'm glad you both want to help her with her homework." North nodded proudly at his boys, recalling that Flynn had taken the time to sit with her yesterday after school and help her with some science. Because she'd had a late start in life and due to her medical issues, she had to work extra hard to keep up. But thanks to a lot of great teachers and her after school tutoring, she was finally at the level she needed to be, but staying the course was just as tricky.

"Trust me, if she has Bunny as her math teacher, she needs all the help she can get." Jack admitted with a laugh as he collected the plates and started cleaning. As he did, he suddenly looked up to see his reflection in the window and that haunting nightmare came back full force as he froze for a few moments, thankful when he was jolted out of it by Vanellope yelling for her calculator.

He finished cleaning quickly and turned to see his father still sitting at the table with Flynn and decided to at least see if maybe there was a way to keep his bad memories at bay. His father and Flynn had always been good about it.

"Hey, uh," he stammered as he sat down, "Did I ever um…talk in my sleep living here?" he asked.

They both stared at him a moment before North nodded, "As a matter of fact, you did, especially in the beginning."

"You would walk around too." Flynn nodded.

Jack stared at Flynn and to his surprise, so did North as apparently this was news to him, "When?" he asked.

Flynn narrowed his eyes and thought back, "I know I only caught it that one time and I don't think you ever did it again, but I remember I found you in the bathroom staring at the mirror or something. I tried to wake you up but just ended up putting you back to bed. It was weird."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" North asked him.

Flynn shrugged, "He was still adjusting, and I used to do stuff like that all the time, I honestly figured you knew and had worked it out after that."

"You said you found me in the bathroom?" Jack asked nervously.

"Yeah, I would have laughed but I didn't have room to, considering I'd wake up in closets all the time." Flynn chuckled.

"They say a lot of children with severe abuse will have odd sleep patterns, you were both still in survival mode even if you were safe." North said sadly, "But then one day, you both had your moment to realize you could relax and just be children; happy and free from all that pain."

They both smiled fondly remembering the day it clicked for them, light a window finally opening for them, letting in the sun and fresh air.

"Flynn you were such a good brother when Jack came to us." North reminisced, "I did have to teach you patience because you so badly wanted Jack to be your little brother, but he was still afraid and needed his space. But not once did you complain or fail to lend a helping hand where you could."

Jack smiled at his brother who nodded to him, "I admit, it never gets any easier, but you definitely made my life worth it, Dad."

"Mine too." Jack agreed.

"So, are you having a hard time at the new place, Jack?" Flynn asked in a nonjudgmental voice. To many it would seem nosy, but Jack understood his brother's question having both come from a place of learning to adjust in new places. In response he shrugged, "We're both adjusting but, I don't know, lately I've been having some…off nights." He admitted.

"Well, with a new place, a wedding to plan, and a job, it is a lot." North smiled knowingly, "But you and Rapunzel love each other very much and I'm sure you two make a wonderful team as you process it all."

"We are a good team." He smiled but it felt forced as he recalled her face looking at him after that horrible dream, memory, whatever it was. Her eyes mixed with tears, pain, fear, and disappointment. He was her fiancé; he was supposed to be honest with her. So why, why couldn't he be honest about this? Oh yes, because he'd never been, and it had gotten him this far so why worry about it.

He rubbed his eyes and sat back, "Sometimes I just wish all that bad stuff would disappear completely."

"You and me both." Flynn agreed, resting his chin in his hand as he too seemed far away in unhappy thoughts.

"Let me tell you both something." North sighed heavily, "You're both old enough now to know, but there's a big reason I started adopting."

They both stared at him, his once warm and cheery smile, bright eyes full of wonder, suddenly became dark and lost in a memory full of pain and fear. They had been told many times by North that he'd had a past in Russia, but he never went into detail before.

He sighed and looked up at them, all three now ready to know the truth behind the man they only ever knew as their father.

"When I was just a boy, my parents sold me. In Russia I was raised to be an unpaid child laborer."

He paused as if lost in a painful memory while both of them listened patiently but with a tinge of sadness.

"I spent my whole childhood working long hours, unpaid, starved, and sometimes beaten. Every day I wondered why my parents could sell their own son. I was so young, and they wanted no part of me."

He had tears pooling in his eyes but he wiped them quickly, "When I was sixteen years old, one of the factories that they forced us to work in was raided by the Russian police, but we had nothing and nowhere to go. I lived on the streets while I found work to make a little bit of money. Once I turned eighteen, I vowed I would leave the country, but earning a Visa and not having any formal education or family to support me would make it hard. I was denied many times but thankfully a kind man at the embassy told me about a way to go if I went to college. I could gain a scholarship to America, continue to learn, and eventually obtain my American Citizenship."

"How long did it take you?" Flynn asked in a shaky voice, obviously keeping his tears at bay.

"Almost seven years, and it was hard. I was very behind and the only thing I was good at was reading and writing. But because of that, I got the scholarship and came to America and never left."

He wiped his eyes finally and smiled at them, "Once I had graduated, I started teaching and it was then that I learned my journey wasn't over. I had many students I couldn't help or save who were all suffering. So, I made a decision to adopt a child in need. It took many years, many foster children, many hours of classes and trainings, but I finally got to be a father the moment I adopted you, Flynn."

Flynn wiped his eyes and smiled at his dad, "We're so lucky to have you."

"I am the lucky one." He smiled back and looked to Jack, "My children are wonderful and brave."

"How can we even hope to match you someday?" Jack laughed through his tears, "What if…what if we end up just like the people who birthed us, who hurt us and- "

"Hey, that's not going to happen, bro." Flynn said quickly, "Those people don't deserve the title of parent, no amount of baby labor can earn you that until they prove they can be parents not just birth givers."

North nodded, "Flynn is right Jack, you and Rapunzel will be amazing parents someday, because like me, you know the pain of coming from hurt but gaining love over time from those who care about you. Your child will have love the moment it is born."

Jack felt his heart sting, both from relief that maybe he would one day be as amazing a father as North, but also…

"But they say that violence, or sexual violence it's a cycle and- "

"Jack, I stopped that cycle long ago." North said patiently, "I made sure of it because you would never hurt an innocent soul. You take care of your sister and you take care of Rapunzel. I trust you; we all do. And we know you trust us as well. By gaining your trust and love, we ended that horrific violence."

"Hey, Jack, is there something going on?" Flynn asked nervously, "You know you can tell us."

"No!" Jack shook his head a little too quickly, hating himself as he shut that door in his mind and forced the smile on his face, "No, I'm fine, I just…need to sleep better." He lied.

Flynn and North shared a look but nodded at him instead of pushing it.

"Maybe you should go see a counselor again." Flynn suggested, "I still see one and it's helped me a lot with sleeping in a scary place like New York."

Jack rubbed his face of any tears or worry and nodded, "Maybe."

"There's nothing wrong with talking to someone and getting some clarity." North nodded.

"Yeah." He nodded but wanted to get off this horrid subject, "Thank you, both of you, I uh…I needed to hear that."

They smiled at him and North placed a hand on both their shoulders, "My brave boys."

Jack got up and hugged him firmly as Flynn waited his turn.

"Jack! I finished!" Vanellope practically sang from the dining room. He froze and prayed she hadn't heard anything but North chuckled, sensing his worry and releasing him, "She wears earphones to focus on her work."

"Oh, thank God!" Flynn sighed, "I swear I never get used to having another kid around here."

Jack smiled and walked to the dining room to see Vanellope was wearing her large headphones that connected to her tablet. North had downloaded some binaural sounds and music to help with focus for longer periods of time while keeping her calm at the same time.

He sat down next to her as she took them off. She looked up at him and frowned, "What's wrong?" she asked.

He knew his face was probably red and his eyes bloodshot from crying, but he smiled and waved it off, "It's nothing, I'm okay."

"You don't look okay, Jack." She said softly, tilting her head to the side, "Were you thinking about some of that bad stuff again?"

It still surprised him how perceptive she was, how good at listening she could be. She truly was a kind and gentle soul who wanted so badly to belong.

He wouldn't lie to her, so he merely nodded, "Yeah."

She smiled understandingly and turned herself to face him, "I still cry about it too." She admitted, "But I'm happy now and so are you, right?"

"Yeah, I am." He agreed.

"Good." She smiled and turned back to her work, "So, do you think Bunny will give me at least a C on this?" she said with a hint of nervousness when he glanced over her work.

He found his mind focused on the task at hand as he helped her and felt a small weight lifted. Granted that horrid memory was still there, but his sister was right, he was happy now and he deserved to be happy too. So, he'd put it away, like he always did. He'd made it this far without it being a concern and he had much bigger fish to fry, like outsmarting the great Bunny and his evil math problems.

…..

"That's odd." Ana admitted as Rapunzel told her about Jack's recent reaction to his nightmare. She then went on to explain that since then, Jack refused to speak to her about it.

Both she and Ana were silent for a moment as Rapunzel absentmindedly rubbed Pascal behind the ears. She sank into the comfortable couch she'd spent many a night watching movies and reading books. Her mother as usual sat across from her in her favorite reading chair that made it easy for them to talk to one another. It was always this spot that both would come together and just talk about things and feel safe. As usual, after dinner, she and her mother decided to talk about Rapunzel's worries about school, work, her wedding, and now Jack.

Ana finally broke the silence, "As long as I've known Jack, he's been an open book, he never shied away from talking about what was bothering him, unless he was physically ill. Knowing him he probably just doesn't want to worry you."

"But he looked so scared." Rapunzel said as she recalled the whites of his eyes and the distant look of pure terror and shock. When he dreamed about Emma dying or his parent's abuse, he woke up sweating or upset, but never as severe as this one.

"Hard to know sometimes, but, let him clear his thoughts and I'm sure he'll tell you." Ana smiled, "You know as well as anyone what time can do to heal things."

"Yeah." Rapunzel smiled back, "You're right."

"I'd see him again but considering he'll be my future son; I have a feeling it's not ethically possible." Ana joked, "But, Elsa might still be taking on some new clients and I'm sure she'd be happy to see either you or Jack if needed."

"I was actually going to ask her about premarital." Rapunzel nodded, "Maybe I can sort of 'coax' him into going on the side." She winked.

"Now you're thinking like a future wife!" Ana laughed.

Rapunzel giggled, "I know it's silly," she then sighed, "but I'm sure if I just asked him, he'd do it so I wouldn't worry."

"Then that's your plan. Just be up front with him, you always are." Ana agreed.

Rapunzel felt loads better now. She had her confidence back with her schooling and now had a plan to help Jack. But something else crossed her mind then.

"I've been meaning to ask, how's Tip?"

Ana sighed, "She's been having a hard time but everyone in group as well as the mentors have been amazing for her. Her mother is so grateful she's doing this."

"I bet." Rapunzel nodded, "I'm sure she's worried too."

Ana agreed, she recalled having to witness Rapunzel up on the stand, opening up to so many strangers the hell she had endured while living with Gothel. She'd watched as the horrid woman lied, shattering Rapunzel's spirit. Thank goodness for Elanor's defense or Gothel would have had to face the wrath of Ana's fists once court was over.

"Mom?" Rapunzel said softly as she cut through her bad memories.

"Hmm?" she smiled.

"Do you know why someone would do this to their child? I mean, why would they want to keep them if all they want to do is hurt them? It doesn't make sense."

Ana sighed sadly, resting her head on her hand, "I really wish I knew, but I don't think anyone will ever make sense of why people do bad things to other people, especially to their own children."

"It's selfish." Rapunzel spat, "It's cruel and it's wrong. It took me so long to recover and realize that I didn't deserve to be hurt, there was no excuse, and she had no right to take me from love."

"You're absolutely right." Ana smiled proudly, "You didn't deserve it, and she didn't deserve to have such an amazing daughter after what she did."

"You deserved to be a mom." Rapunzel nodded at her happily, "And, I sometimes can't believe how lucky I am. And I get to share my wedding day with you, like every daughter deserves."

Ana beamed at her, "I'm so proud of you and I'm the lucky one here." She tried holding back her tears, "I never thought I'd ever connect with such a beautiful, talented, and strong young woman. Adopting you was the best decision I ever made."

"Do you think you'd ever adopt again?" Rapunzel asked.

Ana sighed, "I don't know to be honest, but who knows what the future holds, right?"

Rapunzel agreed. She and Jack planned to adopt someday. They obviously wanted their own children but at some point, they wanted to be in a place where they could take in a child who needed a loving home just like they'd needed.

They heard a door open and Pascal yipped as he ran to greet the visitor.

"Ana? Rapunzel?"

"In here Jack!" Ana called.

He came in and bent down to pet Pascal before giving Ana a quick hug.

"Did you have a good time at North's?" Ana asked him as he went to give Rapunzel a kiss and sit next to her.

"Of course, had to help Vanellope with her homework and bother Flynn a bit."

Ana giggled at that.

"We were just having some much-needed bonding time ourselves." Rapunzel said with a smile at her mother.

"Well, since you're both here," Ana said then with a grin, "I did want to catch you up to speed regarding group this week."

They sat up a little excitedly.

"As you know, Arlo is going to get a mentor, but it's someone you may not expect." She said with a hint of nervousness.

"Before I tell you who it is let me just explain why I made my decision." She added as they both tensed up, "He reached out to me last year after finally recovering from his past anger issues. He admitted that he wanted to start helping others and learn patience. So…Arlo's mentor is Dagur Berserker."

"Wait!" Jack gasped as Rapunzel put a hand to her mouth in horror, "The jerk who attacked Rapunzel and beat the crap out of me? The guy who bullied Hiccup?! Are you serious?!"

Ana held up her hand, "Hiccup and Merida know, as do some of the other mentors."

"You can't honestly believe that monster would be a good fit for Arlo?" Jack nearly roared, "The guy was a basket case."

"Was." Ana reiterated, "And he is a good match for Arlo."

"Mom…" Rapunzel breathed, "Arlo has serious anxiety, someone like Dagur could really be dangerous to him."

Ana sighed, "Will you both let me explain?"

Both grew silent but still had the same panic-stricken faces muddled with anger and confusion.

"Dagur was a good student at one point, a bit of a bully but nonetheless, smart and active in school. He'd lost his mother as a child, but his behaviors got worse in high school when he'd lost his father as well. After he'd been expelled from Berk Academy, he began mandatory anger management. He's currently a practicing Buddhist and teaches self-defense, meditation and yoga to those who need it."

"Dagur the Deranged?" Jack scoffed, "Okay, this I need to see."

"Mom, you're sure this is a good idea?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

"Of course, I trust him completely." Ana nodded firmly, "He's been in contact with Berk Academy and even taught students self-defense."

"Those poor kids." Jack sighed, rolling his eyes, "I still can't picture it."

"Well, even if you still have some doubts, I wouldn't worry as we have two guest speakers coming in as well; police officers."

"What a week this is going to be." Jack laughed.

"Who are the speakers?" Rapunzel asked.

"Officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde." Ana said.

"I remember Officer Hopps!" Rapunzel grinned, "Didn't she come to a holiday party one year?"

Ana nodded, "After the recent news of school shootings they wanted to come and talk about safety and healing from violence."

"So, in case Dagur gets deranged again, we at least have two officers there to save the day." Jack said, barking with laughter at this point, "Oh man, I really hope you're ready Ana."

"Oh I am. And I expect nothing but good manners from you, future son." She said pointedly to which he calmed down and nodded respectfully, "Yes ma'am."

She grinned and rubbed her hands together excitedly, "Yes, this is going to be an interesting week indeed."

Both Jack and Rapunzel were not sure if they liked her grin or not.

….

Arlo shook nervously in his oversized teal hoodie as he took in the tall, burly man standing before him. He had short red hair, wild looking eyes, and scars on his face. His smile, though friendly, could also be considered menacing.

"Hey there!" the man he'd been introduced to as Dagur said in a booming voice laced with excitement, "You must be Arlo? Did I say that right?" he asked in a quieter voice.

"Uh…yeah." Arlo gulped.

"Good to meet you mentee!" Dagur shouted once again, causing Arlo to jump.

"Whoa! Take it easy there, little guy. Don't worry, Ana told me you tend to get a little jumpy."

"Sorry…I know that-that it's rude." Arlo stuttered.

"Nah, it's not rude, some people are just a little shyer than others at first. But rest assured, when I'm through with you, you're going to be raising that head higher than Mount Everest."

_When he was through with him?!_ Just what was this guy even thinking about doing to him?

Dagur put a gentle hand on his back to lead him to the chairs in the small empty space. Considering they had group that day he'd wanted a chance to get to know Arlo a little more and help the guy unwind around him.

Arlo was stiff as a board when he finally sat, staring at the intimidating man now less tall as he sat eye level and at a safe distance from the student.

"So, I guess this is the part where we talk about ourselves a little, huh?" Dagur chuckled, "How about I go first, then if you're up for it, I'd love to hear about you."

Arlo nodded nervously.

Dagur took a breath as his smile grew softer, his eyes suddenly taking on an understanding gaze, "Well, I got partnered with you because you and I have something in common."

"What is it?" Arlo asked curiously.

Dagur's frowned briefly before stating in a somber voice, "Seems we both lost our dad's pretty young."

"You're dad…?"

Dagur nodded, "Yeah, my old man was a pretty decent guy. He tried to raise me right. But one night, he just never came home."

"Can I…what happened-I mean-!" Arlo gasped at himself.

Dagur smiled understandingly and nodded, "It's okay, I've come a long way from that time." He paused for a moment, the horrifying memory of what had happened beginning to settle in his mind like a bad dream.

"He went out on a quick errand one night, he got struck down by a drunk driver. But he fell into the ravine down this nasty hill. He was missing for two weeks until they finally found his body. After that, I went bonkers."

"What did you do?" Arlo asked, feeling less and less anxious and more devastated for the man in front of him.

Dagur rubbed the back of his neck, "Let's just say I didn't know how to grieve in a way that was right for me. I was angry, out for revenge and all that power got to my head. I was a real bully."

Arlo stared at him. He'd been the victim of bullying before, a lot, his own papa had tried to get him to be brave and stand up for himself, but he never could. He was just too afraid.

"I hurt a lot of people who could have been good friends and great supports if I hadn't had been a jerk." Dagur admitted, "I drank, did drugs, got arrested a few times, until I was enrolled in an anger management course. That counselor made a lot of sense. I suddenly realized that all that anger was not me. And by burying the anger I felt at losing my dad, I was losing myself. So, I got therapy, quit using any drugs and alcohol, took on a healthy diet and exercise regimen and now I'm an active Buddhist who teaches yoga, meditation, and anger management. I also help teach self-defense classes too."

"So, you aren't the person you used to be." Arlo commented.

"That's right. In actuality, a lot of people are different than they were in high school. I'll admit, I still have days when I can lash out at others, but I feel more in control of myself than I used to. And, I'm happy."

"Do you think…I can be happy too?"

Dagur put a hand on Arlo's shoulder and squeezed carefully, this poor kid was just bones under that massive hoodie he wore, "I know you can. And something tells me, your dad wants you to be happy too."

Arlo felt tears coming to his eyes, "He…he wanted me to be brave but…I'm not!" he admitted, feeling ashamed.

"Hey, being brave isn't like being happy, and being brave is sometimes as simple as admitting to the thing we don't like about ourselves." Dagur said in a quiet voice, a voice that knew this kind of pain and cared about the person who he spoke to.

"I don't like being scared all the time." Arlo said, "What do I do?"

"Okay, now that one is above my pay grade, little guy." Dagur chuckled, "But between the two of us, I think we'll be able to solve it. What do you say?"

Arlo finally gave him the sweetest of smiles and Dagur felt his heart melt. He had to keep from adopting this kid on the spot. His job, his role, was to help this kid feel better about himself and he was going to learn how to be patient. He was going to make his dad proud.

…..

"I didn't do it!" Hiro yelped when he saw the two officers waiting in the group session room.

A few of the others laughed at him but he genuinely looked nervous. Luckily, Jack was there to put a hand on his shoulder, "Relax troublemaker, they're just here as guest speakers."

Hiro let out a sigh of relief and chuckled as he went to help the others set up. He counted the chairs and realized that it would be a pretty full day and possibly more people to come.

MK and Nod were there and already sitting next to Tip and Vanellope. Rapunzel waited for Moana while Hiro sat next to Jack. Hiccup was talking to Sherman while Merida was fawning over some pictures Riley had brought after a hockey game.

Ana quickly spoke to the officers who were about to get seated when a booming voice echoed in the room, "Wilde!"

"Dude!"

Both the officer and the burly red head gave a brief hug and laughed.

"Didn't know you were coming, or I'd have brought a coffee."

"Next time." Officer Wilde winked.

"Okay everyone!" Ana said as she walked over with Arlo, "Let's find our seats and get started!"

Everyone found their spots and eyes were either fixated on the burly red headed man next to Arlo or one of the officers sitting on either side of Ana.

Ana smiled as if everything was completely normal, "Today, I am excited to introduce a new mentor to the group, this is Arlo's mentor, Dagur."

Dagur raised his hand and produced a chipper, "Hello!" to the room before she continued, "And these two are officer Hopps and Wilde from the Burgess Police Department."

Both officers nodded and waved.

Ana grew somber just then, "As many of you have heard on the news, another school shooting occurred just last week. There's been a lot of unrest about it and the officers wanted to come to our group to help lead a discussion and provide resources that can help us be proactive as a school."

The students seemed to grow tense and it was pretty obvious why. This wasn't an easy topic, not for anyone, and not all of them favored how adults, especially police, handled most issues. It would certainly be interesting to get multiple takes on the issue.

The students and mentors went around the room, explaining their names and reasons for being in the group and adding their favorite game. Everyone perked up when it became time for the officers and Dagur to introduce themselves.

Officer Hopps, a very petite silver haired young woman smiled confidently, "I'm Officer Judy Hopps, I've been working as a police officer for a little over seven years now. As you can see, I'm tiny but mighty. I've been friends with Ana for a little while now and love what she's doing here. I really hope all the adults in this room can help you kids better understand what's going on and how to heal from it. And…my favorite game is hopscotch. A classic but an all-time favorite!"

"Okay grandma!" Wilde snorted and she reached over to tap him on the arm in annoyance. He merely chuckled and cleared his throat, "I'm Officer Nick Wilde and I've been partners with Hopps for two years now, but friends with her for longer. Because of her I found my place in this world doing something I'm proud of. It's not always easy, but being able to come and talk to all you kids is definitely meaningful and I hope we can help in any way."

He then turned to Dagur who waved again and smiled excitedly, "Name's Dagur and I'm this guy's mentor." He motioned to Arlo who grinned up at him with a newfound fondness, "Like him, I lost my dad pretty young and it messed me up. I wasn't a good person." He frowned suddenly and seemed to find the floor a little more interesting as he continued, "I hurt a lot of people out of anger for something that wasn't their fault or mine. It took a long time to realize that and now that I have, it's been an incredible journey for me." He looked up with a smile, "I'm ready to start helping others now, like Arlo, heal from the pain and be a good person. I hope this group continues to help me grow as much as he does."

It grew quiet then and Ana sighed, "Welcome again everyone. I know this isn't an easy topic to bring up but please remember this is a safe space. If it becomes too much, you are allowed to excuse yourself but I ask you take your mentor with you to my office if needed. And please remember to be respectful, even if we don't always agree on the same thing, the goal today is healing."

She paused as everyone shifted in their seats, an aura of gloom seemed to emit from everyone, including the adults as she continued, "I'd like to start with the students first as this impacts them as much, if not more, than it does us. Would anyone like to start the sharing?"

"Yeah." Moana said quickly and cleared her throat, "This whole thing pisses me off."

They all waited as she shifted and took a breath to continue, "I'm mad because people make this a political issue and not a matter of life and death. Kids are dying, families are dying, people are being torn apart, friendships destroyed. And I hate it because I'm just one kid, I can't even do anything about it, you know!"

"Yeah." Riley cut in, "I mean, I know talking about it is good and all that but it's not going to change who is in charge and who can really fix this. It sucks because I'm just a dumb kid to all the adults and I don't know any better and maybe I don't but I'd like to think I'm smart enough to know my life matters and I shouldn't have to be scared to go to school every day."

"And another thing." Tip said, "As a young woman of color, this really sucks. Everyone wants to talk about race, gender, and age, and mental health or sexual orientation. Yet the people who are hurting other people are using those as an excuse to hurt others. They use politics and status to hurt kids just because they can. Just admit that you're an asshole and leave us out of it, you know?!"

Arlo took a shaky breath then, "I know how to use a gun…I don't like it," he added quickly, "We used it for critters or protection. I want to just be honest and say, I'm glad we have it, but also because we know how to use it. And I know I'd never want to use it to hurt anyone."

"But that's the thing," Tip pointed out, "You and your family are responsible gun owners. You don't use it as a weapon to hurt people, but out of necessity and protection, right?"

Arlo nodded.

"So, by teaching the smart way to use a gun and seeing it as something that is only for protection or as a resource for living, then I'd say that's absolutely fine." Tip nodded to him, "Plus, you're in therapy and getting support for your issues so no need for you to hurt anyone, right?"

Arlo nodded fervently at that, "I would never want to hurt anyone. I lost my dad and having a gun doesn't mean I want to shoot people. But I hate that when someone asks me about it, they think I'm going to start bringing it in and hurting people."

"That's what happens." Sherman sighed, "People will find any stigma they can and use it against people. For instance, mental illness is the problem or because it's a guy being bullied, or video games like Slaughter Race, or just plain guns. They're not looking at the individual but a perception of things surrounding that person."

"Damn Sherman, that's deep." Hiro admitted, "But not off the mark, either." He shrugged, "The building my brother died in, it was a bomb placed there by an angry professor. Granted he hadn't wanted to kill anyone, but he did because he was selfish and cowardly. He was a smart older guy too, no issues, no money concerns, just a bitter old man who had a grudge for some reason or another. I stopped trying to ask myself why he did it, why my brother's life was nothing to him. Because it won't change…" he wiped his face, "Nothing is bringing Tadashi back and no one cares except me but when I'm gone, so will he. All they'll remember is some ass hole who burned a building down and killed someone. They won't see my brother, just that monster."

They were all quiet for a moment. Jack rubbed Hiro's back supportively.

Officer Wilde sighed and leaned forward, his hands on his knees, "You kids all are completely right." He admitted, "Not one of you said anything that wasn't truth, truth in your eyes and in your heart. Hell, truth in facts." He nodded to Sherman.

"It kind of sucks when I see these kids standing up for what's right while the adults around them squabble like idiots." Hiccup said, "Adults who are supposed to protect you kids, raise you up, make you better, and instead, they tear you down, ignore your cries for help, watch as you're slaughtered, and then make false promises and throw it in your face like garbage."

"Kids aren't given a voice, truly." Merida agreed, "They say you do, that you can say what's on your mind, but there's no law stating that anyone under eighteen years old can make a final decision and leave it at that. They can hear you, but they don't have to listen."

"You're all listening." Vanellope pointed out, "I mean, I know it's not much but, at least there are some adults who care about us."

"Of course, we do, kid." Nod ruffled her hair, "we were kids once too, dumb ones, but still."

"All the why's, what ifs, when's, how's," Judy added, "No one can answer. All we can do is what we can do as we are in this moment. If you are good with words, write letters to the senate. If you are loud and proud, you march in safe protests, if you are good at listening, just do that for a friend who needs it."

"Officer Hopps is right." Ana said, "We may not be able to change things, but one person can make a difference to someone right now and using what you have, you can be that person."

"And above all, don't ever take on a problem by yourself." Wilde added, "If something smells like danger, you get help, don't ever let anyone talk you into handling a dangerous situation on your own. Doesn't matter who they are to you."

"Miss Ana?" Sherman asked.

She smiled at him.

"Maybe we should do something at the school. Like maybe we can write letters to congress or maybe you can teach us to become peer mentors when people are upset. I mean, we can't be the only ones having a hard time at school, right?"

"Now you're talking, kid." Wilde smiled.

Ana leaned forward, "I think if you and a few others were to get together and make a very good case for the school, Mr. Black and Mr. Manny might just make it a reality."

"I want to help!" Moana said excitedly.

"Me too!" Riley smiled.

"Count me in." Tip nodded.

Ana laughed and clapped her hands, "I know this was a heavy topic, but I like where this is going, and I feel this is a good place to close and check in. Let's close with something fun."

A few of the kids raised their hands, "Can we play Never Have I Ever!" Riley asked.

"I was thinking knots!" Moana laughed.

"Aw, Telephone you guys!" Tip teased.

"You know what, I think the officers would love playing knots!" Ana teased.

The officers glanced at each other nervously, but Ana was already putting people into groups.

Jack ended up paired with Hiro, Sherman and Hiccup. Rapunzel and Moana were with Tip and MK. Nod and Vanellope were with Wilde and Hopps and Arlo ended up with Dagur, Merida and Riley.

They all reached across and grabbed arms with others in the group and had to attempt to get out of the knot without letting go. It was incredibly hard to do with adults but also very fun.

Jack and Hiccup were just as bad as Hiro and Sherman trying to outsmart one another. One pair used logic while the other used obnoxious tactics to throw everyone off.

Across the room, Moana and Tip were going about it with encouragement to their mentors who were giggling nonstop.

Hopps kept yelling at Wilde for tripping her up and Vanellope couldn't stop her fits of laughter. Merida seemed fine with Dagur but anyone could see a hint of animosity between the two. But at the end of the day, both Arlo and Riely were having fun; Arlo was laughing while Riely assisted him in problem solving. .

Because both Hiro and Jack hated losing and Hiccup and Sherman were way too smart their team won much to the laughter and fury of the other teams.

Jack and Hiro celebrated the only way they knew how, with yelling non stop and high fiving with the other two who were now out of breath but looking pleased about winning.

Ana laughed and rolled her eyes, "Alright, class dismissed! See you all next week!"

"Hey, hold it a second my man!" Jack chuckled and got down to put a hand on Hiro's shoulder, "You did great today, and no doubt is your brother proud of you."

Hiro nodded and surprised Jack when he gave him a quick hug, "Thank you Jack." He whispered before breaking away and going to find his backpack.

Jack turned to see Dagur was also kneeling in front of his mentee, hand on his shoulder and talking animatedly. Whatever he was saying, it lifted Arlo's spirits considerably who nodded and then was released to head home.

Dagur must have caught Jack staring as he came over then. Jack was reminded of all the times this guy had punched him or his friends, had harassed Rapunzel, or taunted people, so he couldn't keep from tensing nervously.

"Guess I'm the last person you wanted to see here, huh Overland." Dagur shrugged.

"More like last person expected to see here." Jack smiled nervously.

Dagur snorted, "Hey, I'd like to take the other mentors out, my treat, just want to clear some air."

Jack looked over and motioned for Nod and Hiccup to come over.

Dagur offered the same to the other two who agreed to gather everyone else and meet at a nearby pub.

"We're getting drinks with Dagur." Merida snorted on their way out, "Never thought I'd live to see this day."

The drive over was easy, getting in was easy, but when it came down to finally addressing the elephant in the room, there was an air of thickness surrounding their booth and it seemed like the hardest thing they all had to do in that moment.

Dagur finally sighed, staring into his mug of beer, "Listen, I already knew coming in that you'd not forgotten who I was in high school. I don't expect you to. All I know is, I was shitty, and I owe each one of you an apology."

He looked over at Hiccup and Merida, "Hiccup, I never treated you right, even when my dad was alive, I wasn't nice to you. I'm not proud of who I was, and I don't expect forgiveness. But I hope you know that I am sorry, for everything. And Merida, same to you, I said a lot of things your way that make me hate myself. I'm sorry."

"Dagur, wow…" Hiccup breathed, "To be honest, it's really amazing. And, a part of me is mad that I hadn't reached out to you to be a better friend. I feel like I gave up on you. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Nothing to forgive brother." Dagur smiled, reaching out a hand and shaking Hiccup's. Merida smiled and sighed, "Dagur, you're still a little shit in my eyes, but I can't lie, that was ballsy."

Dagur snorted, "Same spicy Merida."

She rolled her eyes but nodded, "You were amazing with Arlo tonight, you've already proven yourself to me."

"Okay, Nod and MK." He looked over but Nod already had a hand up, "Dude, let's be real, we were shits growing up. I don't need an apology, but I know she won't let it go." He motioned to MK who rolled her eyes.

"Fair enough, MK, I know I kind of left you alone mostly because I could respect at that time for some reason that you'd lost your mom and I wasn't about to hurt you like that. But I know you worried about Nod a lot and I'm glad you've been with him all this time to support him. I'm sorry to you both."

Nod shook his hand and MK smiled, "Wow, I can't believe I just heard all of that come from your mouth!" she giggled.

"I know." He sighed, "Power of Buddhism, my friends, and now you two lovebirds." He smiled at them.

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Rapunzel as always looked ready to forgive and smiled warmly.

"I know I hurt you really bad that night, hell even before that." Dagur said to Jack, "And Rapunzel I don't even know what possessed me to hurt you the way I did, but there's no excuse and it shouldn't have happened. I went overboard and I look at it as the kick in the crotch I needed to start my therapy and anger management. I'm happy for you both and I'm very sorry for everything I ever did to you both."

Jack finally snorted and smiled, shaking his head, "Hey, I forgave you after you apologized to Hiccup and my fiancé. But seriously, it's good to see the real Dagur." He shook his hand and Rapunzel also took his hand and smiled warmly at him.

"It is nice, I have to say, a lot less voices if you know what I mean." He chuckled and pointed to his head, "After hearing all your stories tonight I just couldn't believe I added to all that hurt."

"None of us are exempt from our own pain either." Hiccup pointed out, "A lot of healing comes from being able to work through our own issues. It's nice to have you on board Dagur."

He nodded, "These kids are pretty amazing. I'm real excited to see how they grow."

"Speaking of," MK said suddenly, "Tip's birthday is coming up and we wanted to throw in a little something for her, bring her a cake and something nice."

"Oh, she'd love that." Rapunzel agreed, "She needs it so much right now."

"Yeah, my mom agreed to help her family in case things go south." Merida said.

"Let us know what we can do to help." Nod chipped in, "Anything at all."

"Just lots of support." Merida smiled, "Trust me that goes a long way."

They all agreed whole heartedly with that. And with apologies and forgiveness finally out in the open, all of them were ready to begin anew and continue their goal of helping their young charges. Tonight was important for so many reasons; it gave their kids a voice and a platform, it gave them strength and support, and it proved to them just how incredible they were at their age. If kids could do it, then adults could most definitely pave the way with the right mindset. Each of them at the table knew better than anyone how change happened gradually and with it came strength, but they still had a ways to go; kids just had to remind them of that sometimes.

….

Rapunzel was finishing a chapter for class while he focused on an art piece that he was editing on his tablet. Both were relaxing in bed but immersed in what they were doing. Rapunzel finally closed her book and tossed it on the nightstand. He glanced over and smiled at her. She curled closer to him and smiled back.

"What do you think?" he asked, showing her the colorful dreamcatcher he was creating.

She smiled and pointed, "I think you should add a bit of sunset orange just there and maybe add some stars to the dark blues and purples."

He did that and smiled proudly when it was done.

"Perfect." She nodded as he logged off his tablet and turn off the lights.

He brought her to him and kissed her, deepening it slowly and hoping his hands running along her hips gave her the signal. Unfortunately, she wasn't taking the bait as she pushed against him lightly and sighed, "Can I ask you something?" she said softly.

He ignored his protesting boner and propped his head in his hand, staring down at her in the dimly lit room.

She bit her lip for a moment, obviously trying to find the right words. He was itching to do the biting for her but knew he had to wait.

"I was thinking that maybe we can see Elsa together." She finally stated.

He furrowed his brows, "Your old counselor?"

"Yeah, you know for premarital and…maybe we can just, you know, check in on our own…"

His sex drive completely toned down. He knowingly sighed and gave her a sad smile, "Rapunzel, I'm sorry about the other night." He said softly as he brushed some hair behind her ear, "I think just…" he thought about lying, about the truth, about what he should say, in the end, he settled for a half truth, "I think between everything that's going on it's starting to pile up in my head is all. I don't want you to worry about me."

"You know I'm going to anyways, right?" she giggled, "At least let's go see her together first, we can go from there."

He found her hand and intertwined their fingers, bringing it to his lips, "No harm in that." He agreed.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I know." He chuckled as he pulled her back in for a kiss before she could retaliate.

She giggled as he deepened the kiss and was pleased when she finally gave him further access to his primary goal. After that, he was content in forgetting all his worries and doubts and simply getting lost in her.

A/N:

Yep, all that just happened!

If you can believe it, all of those kids and adults discussion about this issue were based on actual teens in my youth group, my counseling sessions, and even fellow counselors or teachers who would speak about this with me. There are many more but it is a very heavy topic and I wanted to keep it as best to the characters personalities as I could and not go overboard.

Biggest thing I hope anyone takes away from this chapter is this; Whether it be a parent, a sibling, a teacher, a counselor, an officer, a relative, please be a safe space for them to voice their emotions and opinions on what is happening in the world. Encourage creativity, problem solving, change and be that support as they grow.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Trigger Warning: Bullying, Suicidal Thoughts, Mentions of Violence, Depression

Jack had to keep his leg from bouncing like crazy and he suddenly wished he still had his yo-yo that always helped him with his anxiety. It was so stupid; he'd been to countless counselors and he knew Elsa, so why was this pre-marital session making him jumpy?

Rapunzel seemed to be feeling some sort of anxiety as well, her emerald eyes would flit from patterns on the wall to magazine covers on the table and then towards the hallways that led to Elsa's office.

He instinctively reached out to hold her hand and caught her eye with a smile. She smiled softly back at him, both forgetting for a moment where they were and grounding each other.

"Well hello you two!"

They turned to see the ivory haired woman looking as graceful as a queen gliding their way. Her arms were outstretched as she hugged first Rapunzel and then Jack.

He recalled Elsa being exceptionally beautiful but after so many years, she looked simply radiant.

"Come on back." She said in her soothing voice and both followed her back to her office. Jack had never been inside before so immediately his eyes caught the glass figurines on a shelf and he couldn't keep from walking over to see them.

"You got some new ones." Rapunzel said, following him.

"Mhm. Kristoff is still in the business." Elsa smiled and pointed to a rather large glass horse that appeared to be running on waves and a little lizard with etched-in spots, "And still afraid to propose to my sister." She mumbled with a chortle.

She then motioned to the couch where both made their way over and sat nervously next to each other, their knees bumping accidentally.

She sat down, making sure to smooth the ivory pencil skirt dress, "So, when's the big day?"

They both gave one another a look that told her everything she needed to know; they were still in the beginning stages of the whole wedding planning thing.

"We're still…" Rapunzel admitted with a blush to her cheeks, "Deciding that."

"No rush." Elsa smiled knowingly, "I'm glad you both wanted to come in. Many take this part of the process for granted which is why most pastors or officiants make it mandatory."

"It's not, like, bad if we don't do this though, right?" Jack asked her.

"No, it's completely optional, but this is a big step in your life and getting married isn't just about a wedding, but the marriage itself."

Rapunzel nodded and Jack felt odd for a moment. It wasn't new for them to confess their feelings about one another, but for some reason, things felt different than usual.

"So, I always start this with a simple question," Elsa smiled reassuringly, "and let's start with Rapunzel. Why do you want to marry Jack?"

"Wow, just right out of the gate, huh?" Jack chuckled.

Rapunzel couldn't help but snort and took a breath, "Well, there's a million reasons honestly but, the biggest one is that I always feel safest when I'm with Jack. And if I'm ever sad, he always cheers me up and makes me feel better. When he asked me to marry him, I had no doubts at all."

She smiled up at him and he took that moment to wrap his arm around her and give her his award-winning grin.

"Now Jack, same question." Elsa nodded to him.

He took a moment to look at the love of his life and couldn't seem to figure out how to word what he needed to say. He was a man who never thought too hard about what he would say to people, be it funny or serious. But when it came to Rapunzel, he always felt tongue tied.

"Man, this is hard." He admitted, "Like, I feel like I could whip out a Shakespearean volume just to name every reason."

"Take your time." Elsa giggled.

He sighed softly and allowed himself to just relax as he thought about it, "Rapunzel's always been…just…she's the one. I can't even explain it, the feelings I have for her, she just makes me want to be better and…okay I officially suck at this." He admitted with a slight blush to his cheek.

He felt Rapunzel's hand wrap around his arm, and she leaned into him with a smile.

"It is hard to always know what to say." Elsa admitted, "And both of you come from quite a background filled with heartache and loss. To be able to come together and feel the way you do, it's nothing short of a beautiful miracle."

"Actually…" Rapunzel admitted shyly, "That's kind of a big reason why I wanted to come. I'm just really scared that all of those nightmares and bad memories will sneak up on us and…"

She looked nervously at Jack who seemed to know what she was getting at. He sighed, "Rapunzel, I already told you, it was nothing and I'm fine."

"Jack, please, you and I both know that- "

"Whoa! Let's rewind for a second." Elsa chuckled, "Something tells me there's more to this visit."

Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly, "It's really nothing but I did scare Rapunzel a few nights ago when I had a pretty bad night terror."

"When you say, 'pretty bad', how bad are we talking?" Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow at them.

Rapunzel cut in, "We both get them, a lot, but mostly it's just a cry followed by some tears or a hard time breathing but we always talk about them and can get back to sleep pretty easily. This one was…Jack was different."

"How so?"

Jack shrugged and allowed his fiancé to explain it, "He screamed, like, really screamed and shot out of bed and then just stood there staring at me in terror before he brushed me off and went to wash his face. He hasn't told me about it at all."

Elsa noticed Jack turning pale and his eyes boring holes into the carpet. This was definitely a problem for both of them and knew she'd need to explore this further than just this one visit could entail.

"Can I ask you something real fast Jack," she said calmly and waited for him to look up at her, "Whatever happened in that dream, is it something you've never really opened up about before?"

She saw a flicker of nervousness before he shrugged and looked away, "I open up about everything, not hard to get an answer out of me."

She narrowed her eyes, getting her answer before looking to Rapunzel, "Are there things you haven't opened up about yourself Rapunzel?"

"Well…I'm sure there are, but some of them are things I haven't really thought about much or really want to expose, you know." She shrugged, "And I'm not asking you to tell me everything Jack, I just…I want to help you because I know you'd do the same for me."

She had a point and he smiled at her, "I know that, but I really don't want you concerned about this. It was just a crazy dream and nothing more, okay?"

"May I make a suggestion?" Elsa said, "Apart from your pre-marital sessions, I don't think it's a bad idea to see me separately too. It seems there are some concerns on both sides and nothing major but, let's try to get those taken care of before we move forward, alright?"

Jack looked like he would rather not do that but agreed as did Rapunzel. Before long they were simply catching up and both left at least feeling lighter than they had when they came.

He held her hand and walked with her to the car. She looked up at him, "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to throw you under the bus like that."

"I know and I understand but," he sighed, "I don't want you worrying about me, I mean it. We both have a lot on our plate and at least now we both have Elsa to help with that, yeah?"

She smiled, "Sounds good, hey, do you want to grab a pizza for dinner?"

"Now you're speaking my language." He teased.

…..

To say his week didn't get any easier after that session was an understatement.

A lot of his clients had cancelled, Rapunzel was coming home from school with more migraines, and now he was getting a call from his father; apparently Vanellope got in trouble at school for fighting with a boy.

It was Friday afternoon and he was glad he had that weekend off so he could focus solely on helping his sister. He went to the school and walked towards the office, vaguely remembering how much time he spent in the place when he got into all sorts of trouble. He wondered if Mr. Black still kept an aura of darkness to dissuade troublemakers. Yes, he decided as he walked in, Mr. Black had not changed a bit. It seemed Elsa would be the only one seeing the softer side of the tall imposing man.

He saw Vanellope sitting in a chair, she was still, her head down, and her eyes distant. She didn't have that bubbled up energy or smugness about having won a battle, which meant this fight had been bad. His sister had a fierce streak and sure she could talk good game, but he knew as well as anyone in their family how sensitive she really was.

He then turned to see his father talking to Mr. Black. Even after all these years, this man still terrified him and instinctually caused him to stand up straighter. They both looked solemn, but calm, nonetheless. He wondered just how much trouble Vanellope was in.

His father smiled at him but it seemed forced, "Thank you for coming Jack, I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could watch Vanellope at home for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, no problem." He said and came closer to them, "What happened?" he asked curiously.

Mr. Black sighed as he looked over at her, a look crossing his features that Jack didn't recognize; was it...heartfelt concern?

"This is unusual, even for Miss Von Schweets." He explained, "She's usually in here for talking out of turn or being too distracted to focus on something, but we've never had an issue of her becoming physically aggressive towards another student."

"Did she say why?" he dared to ask in a rather timid voice. Mr. Black paid no mind to it as he and North shook their heads.

"The boy is an older student in her class and said he'd done nothing wrong and she just attacked him, but I find that hard to believe." Mr. Black said with pursed lips, "But she's refusing to say anything and unless she can tell us why she fought with him, she has to be suspended."

Jack felt his stomach turn; his sister not speaking up to defend herself? Something had happened and whatever it was, he wanted to find out why.

"I'll talk to her and if I hear anything, I'll let you know." He promised.

Both nodded appreciatively and he went over to sit next to his sister who was still lost in her own world of thought. He noticed she didn't have a mark on her which made him glad, but the look in her eyes made him even more concerned for her.

"Hey, why don't we get out of here and grab a bite to eat, yeah?" he asked her calmly.

She nodded weakly and got up to grab her things, not saying a word. She didn't even turn to wave at their father which was another tell tale sign that something was very wrong. She walked behind him the whole way to his car and still refused to speak even after she got in and buckled up.

He started driving and sighed, "So who was it?" he asked.

"Nobody." She answered in disgust.

He was relieved she finally spoke, he felt hopeful then that maybe she'd say more as they continued driving.

"I believe that, but what made him so different than all the rest?" he continued, feeling a pang of disappointment when she once again went silent, "Vanellope, you know you can talk to me; I know a thing or two about bullies and…other things." He shrugged, not sure how to phrase 'childhood trauma'.

She glanced nervously up at him as they made it into town. He was certain she would continue to stay silent until she took a breath and finally spoke up.

"He told me that I should have died the minute my parents gave me up."

"What?!" he nearly shouted, slamming the breaks so hard that he nearly hit a pedestrian crossing the street.

"See, this is why I didn't say anything!" she cried angrily.

He took a breath, "I'm sorry, I know, just…" he huffed and began looking for a parking spot to safely vent to her. When he did, he turned to see she was now visibly crying and shaken, "How long has this been going on?" he asked her in a quieter voice.

"Today was the first time he said something like that to me. Mostly he would just call me annoying or tell me to shut up but…after he said that I…I…"

"You lost control." He nodded understandingly, "Had it been me, I would have lost control too, hell, I have before." He admitted.

She wiped her eyes and he put a hand on her shoulder, "You know what he said was a complete lie, right?"

"I don't care if he thinks I should die," she explained and then looked over at him, "I was just mad because I had been feeling so good lately, like people really loved me and then I remembered so many families just gave me up and now I don't know if North even wants me anymore-"

"Hey, he'd never give you up. And even if that were true, he'd have turned me in long ago because I was a complete ass. So, I think it's safe to say you're stuck with us."

"You already lost a sister; I don't want to be the second one you lose." She admitted pitifully and gave him a soulful look.

He paused and stared at her, not sure what to say. She knew about Emma, but it wasn't always something everyone talked about with her in detail. He had to look away and ended up seeing his distorted reflection on the windshield. That battered little boy stared back blankly, a reminder that everything he'd ever suffered had been for his little sister, to keep her safe, only he'd failed her. He forced himself to look over at his new little sister, a girl who'd lost so much just like he had, who needed him.

"I used to want to die, so much." She sobbed, "Even after North adopted me because I knew he'd get sick of me!"

He pulled her tightly into a hug to remind her just how loved and wanted she truly was. Had this been Emma, he'd have already held her in his arms and told her how amazing she was, how brave and smart and beautiful. But this wasn't Emma. And it would be wrong of him to think of her as such.

"Everyone, North, Flynn, Rapunzel, Ana, me, we all love you and will never give you up. I promise you." He explained after taking a few shuddering breaths, "You're my sister and I have a feeling you were always meant to be."

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that, how long his breathing had picked up to the point he began to hyperventilate, but at some point, she broke from him and began calling out his name worriedly, "Jack? Jack! What's wrong?"

He pushed her away slowly and had to clutch the steering wheel, burying his face into his hands to ground himself, "Just…hang on, okay?" he choked out.

"Do you want to count to five with me?" she asked calmly, rubbing his back.

"Yeah." He laughed wetly through his sob.

It definitely took more than five breaths but by the time his vision became less blurry and his heart rate steadied, he came to a dire conclusion as he looked into his sister's worried eyes; he needed help fast, or else he couldn't call himself a brother for failing to protect two sisters.

…

Jack had dropped off Vanellope well before four in the afternoon after both decided to take a walk and have some ice cream. He'd called Mr. Black after that and explained what had happened and was pleased to know that kid was going to be seeing the boogeyman side of his old dean he clearly remembered on some dark days.

After he'd talked to his father and felt Vanellope would be okay, he wasn't sure what to do or where to go next. Rapunzel would be home late, and he didn't know if he could handle people or an isolated apartment right now.

Making a decision, he headed to his work to try and design some new art in a different setting that would keep him preoccupied.

But first…

He cleared his throat, waiting for the beep of the voicemail coming to a finish, "Hey, Elsa, it's uh…it's Jack Overland. I've been putting this off but, I really think I need to come in for a session. I thought a lot about what you said and…I need to tell you something, I just…I can't keep it in anymore and I figure, maybe, you can help me with that. Anyways, let me know when I can come in and I'll be there. Thanks."

He hung up and took a breath, hating himself for feeling so weak, but knowing he had to do this. He needed help and she could be the one to do it, but he had to take that leap first, and this was the moment to do so.

He walked up to his studio only to find it locked. This was strange since Friday nights were usually busy. He unlocked it and walked inside to darkness and seeing no one around. His suspicion began to grow as he walked into the quiet building and towards the back, towards Viggo's office.

Normally, no one was allowed in there unless he was present, but something felt wrong and Jack was in no mood for games at this point. He'd just dealt with his sister's bullying outcome and left a voicemail for a therapist. He was in no mood by this point.

He opened the door and turned on the lights. Just like outside the place was quiet and empty. He walked to the desk and immediately felt his stomach drop. Right next to the computer was a small flyer for a tattoo artist exhibition that was happening two towns over as he stood there. He hadn't even heard about it, no one had said a thing to him. He turned it over and saw a scribble that looked like Viggo's writing: _Don't tell Jack!_

He was livid and turned to the computer, narrowing his eyes. Forgetting all sense of caution, he began breaking in, thankful for all of Hiccup's lessons on computer hacking growing up.

He was grateful they'd paid off because he made two awful discoveries just then:

The first was a file full of his artwork, but under Viggo's name. The next was his paycheck being given significantly less than all the others in the office. He fumed, his fists clenched and itching to break the wretched machine. But he had another idea.

He found one of his USB drives and downloaded all the incriminating evidence he could, deleting all his artwork on the main computer for good once he'd collected it. He then searched the office for any more of his work and grabbed it all.

He felt his head race and his blood boil, ready to finish collecting his tools and forever leave. But he had one more thing to take care of before he left for good. He threw his keys on the table, grabbed a black sharpie, and wrote on the flyer:

_Consider this my notice, don't ever steal from me again. JO._

…..

Rapunzel knew something was off the minute she set foot into the apartment. Call it intuition but something in the air hung heavy and as she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was a box of scattered papers and tattoo artist tools. She turned to see Jack sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. She shut the door quietly and walked towards him, "Jack?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

He brought his head up to meet her eyes, somewhat startled by her appearance. He opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again, "I quit." He choked out, not sure if he could meet her eyes.

"What?" she gasped.

He huffed out a manic laugh, "I quit my job!"

Her eyes widened, backing away, as he stood up abruptly and began pacing, running a hand through his hair and scratching his head in agitation.

"What happened?" she asked nervously.

He turned to her with a look of disgust, "Viggo was stealing my work and taking money out of my paycheck."

"What?!" she shouted angrily, feeling a surge of protection come over her, knowing her fiancé was justified in his decision now.

He nodded and a look of defeat crossed his features as if suddenly realizing something, "Oh my God." He breathed and sank back onto the couch with a thump, "Oh my God, I don't…I don't have a job! Holy shit, I'm so sorry, Rapunzel, I…I can't even provide for us now!" he cried, his head in his hands, rocking back and forth as he berated himself.

"Jack!" she said, rushing to his side and wrapping her arms around him, "You don't need to apologize." She said sternly, "You were right to leave, he was a scumbag."

"But we're getting married and how are we going to afford this place? We just moved!" he cried, "I should have just- "

"No," she shook her head, "You will find another place to work and we will find a way. We already took care of this month, so we have time. It's going to be okay."

He looked at her and once again was reminded so badly of how he failed those around him. He really hadn't thought it through. How could he pay for their apartment and utilities, let alone a wedding? How could he even call himself a brother, a friend, a husband or a son?

"Jack, I support you no matter what and we will get through this, together." She said firmly and brought him to her. He felt powerless and weak as he let her hold him, wrapping him up in her warmth and light that he so desperately needed in this moment.

"Let's go to bed and we'll sort it out tomorrow, yeah?" she nodded.

He blew out a breath and nodded, knowing she was right.

She got up towards the kitchen and he paused when he felt his phone buzz, having expected it for the past hour.

He hadn't been sitting idle at home once he walked through the door. He'd opened his own computer, found out who was judging the competition Viggo and his other ex-coworkers were competing in, and sent them a message with his evidence of stolen artwork. It took a good hour, but he knew it wouldn't be long for someone to disqualify Viggo and his team.

He looked at the text and saw a judge had answered his email and apologized profusely before announcing he'd disqualified the disgraced team. Jack grinned at that and felt some vindication before he saw another text pop up:

_You will regret this._

…..

Hiccup stared down at the dazzling ring and grinned. It was a traditional gold Claddagh ring with a ruby in the center to represent a heart. It had been his mother's ring and he'd waited years to finally have it sized and polished just for Merida. It wasn't the typical diamond ring which is what made it so special for both him and Merida.

He smiled thinking about going to his father to ask for the ring only to have him swept up in a tight hug and nearly being squished to death. His father promised to hold off on telling Gobber mainly due to the fact he would get too excited and accidentally spill the little surprise without meaning to.

After that, he'd gone to Merida's parents to ask for their blessing only to be squished again and bombarded daily with texts asking if he'd done it yet.

He put the ring back in the box and finished his payment, feeling giddy at finally having it in his hands. Now came the next hard part, preparing a perfect proposal and executing it.

He wanted to be sure the group mentors knew so it wouldn't throw off the groove, and he also wanted to be sure they weren't interrupting any kids who needed to talk about something important on that day. He was so nervous, and the tiny part of his anxiety that told him she'd hate it was starting to creep up only for his rational side to come in and point out that she was the one for him and to just take the leap.

He blew out a breath he hadn't realized he'd kept inside and saw the fog it formed in front of his face. He was used to the cold and with the way he felt at this very moment, there wasn't a chill in his bone.

He got to his car and paused when he felt the vibration of an incoming text. He pulled out the phone, expecting it to be either of their parents begging for updates but it was from Merida.

Once again, he had to push his anxiety away, thinking she'd discovered his plan, when, in reality, she was most likely telling him about dinner.

He got into his car and pulled up the text and felt his heart sink as he read her words:

_Rapunzel just texted, Jack quit his job, they were stealing his work. It's bad, she thinks it might be a good idea if you go over, I'm going over as well._

He shut his eyes feeling heartbroken for his friend. He looked between the text and the box in his other hand. This meant he had to hold off on his proposal for a while and as much as it sucked for him, he knew that in this moment, his best friend needed him more. So, with a newfound determination, he stuffed the ring box into the glove compartment and made his way over to Jack and Rapunzel's, readying himself for anything.

…..

Elsa didn't know how to even begin consoling Rapunzel at a time like this. She'd come for an individual session in tears that she'd apparently held in for days. When she finally got to the bottom of it, not only was Rapunzel dealing with stress from school and work, but now Jack was jobless.

"I know he'll find a new job." she sobbed openly, "I'm not even upset about that, I'm proud he stood up for himself and left."

"Something tells me that's not the real reason you're crying." Elsa pointed out.

Rapunzel sniffed and wiped her eyes, "No it's not. Jack looked…I don't know he was just so different. I've never seen him like that in my entire life!"

"What was he doing?" she asked curiously.

"He was laughing and crying hysterically and pacing around, cursing and slamming his fist on tables and chairs. It was just so intense I panicked and asked Merida and Hiccup to come over."

"I'm glad you did, did it help?" Elsa nodded.

"Only for a little bit. Merida was able to get me calm and Hiccup was wonderful helping Jack. But ever since then, he still gets erratic when he's doing things, talking to himself and doing things more aggressively like slamming doors and avoiding everyone who wants to talk to him."

"Losing a job, especially how he did, can have a huge impact on our psyche and I can tell this is worrying him to a point he's becoming overwhelmed."

"I've been trying to avoid going home as much as I can, I feel like my own problems aren't as important as this right now and maybe space is good for us, but, I just don't want him to worry about me now too. He's already doing so much."

Elsa nodded and handed Rapunzel more tissues, "You both have been under a lot of stress lately, and it sounds like Jack is processing a lot right now. However, you're both starting to do the one thing that can become a big problem in a relationship."

"What?" Rapunzel asked nervously.

"You're both so concerned about worrying the other that none of you are being honest with each other. You both mentioned at our first session that he didn't tell you about what caused his night terror for fear he'd worry you. And now you're not allowing yourself to be emotional around him for fear of worrying him. This can be a real make or break situation for you two moving forward."

Rapunzel knew she was right. Since knowing Jack, both had grown into an honest place with one another, sharing their feelings and opening up to one another. But recently, it was like a switch flipped, and whether it was Jack's issue or Rapunzel's own stress, both had begun to cross into a territory neither were ready for, hiding secrets from the other.

"If this continues, both of you will begin to distrust, grow bitter, and isolate. This can lead to a lot of destructive relationship boundaries." Elsa continued.

Rapunzel held her head in her hands, "What do I do?!" she cried.

"First, you keep coming to see me individually to talk about your stress. If ever there's a place to do that, it's in a counselor's office. Second, Jack is already scheduled to see me individually here soon, so I'll be explaining this to him as well. He may not open up right away, but I ask you to be patient as we both cross this bridge. And finally, be encouraging to him while allowing yourself to express your emotions in front of him."

Rapunzel listened intently, wishing she was taking notes but knowing she didn't need to. She bit her lip, "What if we can't get through this? What if he can't get past this?" she mumbled nervously.

Elsa smiled, "Something you both told me rang true, he wants nothing more than to keep you safe and show you how much he loves you; this builds him up. And with him comforting you and encouraging you, he builds you up. Keep that going. Eventually we will get to the bottom of all this but for now, find the little things to bring you two together."

"It won't stress him out if I do this right?" Rapunzel asked in a quivering but hopeful voice.

"If anything, it will only fuel his drive to find work and help take his mind off his own mess for a while to focus on yours. People like Jack tend to forget themselves and get overwhelmed, but when you give them a problem to fix, it helps boost them up."

"You're right." She smiled, "I notice when he does little things for me that I love he gets so happy and carefree. I just want us to be like we were."

"I'm going to tell you something that may shock you." Elsa said calmly, "After this, you both won't be the way you once were."

"What?" Rapunzel gasped.

Elsa merely smiled and held a hand up reassuringly, "It's nothing scary, but I encourage you to never try to go back to the way you were, it just doesn't happen that way no matter what."

"What do you mean?" she asked, the thought of losing what she and Jack had nearly debilitated her.

"You two are facing a challenge neither of you have experienced before. In that, you are both changing, your relationship is changing. Instead of going back, you move ahead, and you create a healthier, stronger relationship than even before. You keep those memories and those old times precious, but you create a stronger love moving forward."

"I see." Rapunzel smiled, "It's like me trying to move past trying to be the perfect daughter Gothel had wanted me to be and working instead on building mine and Mom's relationship as a mother and daughter, right?"

"Exactly. You were still a daughter who'd learned a lot and grew over time, but you became the version of the daughter both you and Ana came to love and still love."

"Thank you, Miss Elsa." Rapunzel smiled. Old nicknames never seemed to change no matter how old her patients got, but it was so endearing to be reminded of how far little Rapunzel had come in her healing through the years.

"Any time, Rapunzel." She smiled back, "We'll have a joint session soon, but first, I'll have that session with Jack."

Rapunzel nodded and wiped her cheeks, feeling ten times better than before she came in. She had a plan and soon, Jack would as well. They would win this battle, they had to.

…

Jack downed another drink, feeling lost in his thoughts, but grateful Hiccup was there with him. He'd ignored his friend at first, but eventually his absence and isolation were becoming apparent to everyone to the point Hiccup just flat come over anyways.

He'd spent the rest of that horrid weekend looking at places he could try working at. Come Monday he'd been out and about, trying to talk to studio owners and applying to different places. By Wednesday he'd concluded that he was not going to be so lucky. He'd been turned away by the first few and let it go but after nearly seven places he knew something was wrong.

He did some digging and discovered that Viggo was spreading lies about Jack, accusing him of stealing or having a bad attitude with staff and clients. He wasn't even given a chance to explain himself or give them the truth. He had known Viggo was popular around town so any slander towards him from Viggo meant everyone felt the same.

His failure was beginning to follow him around like a bad shadow. He was avoiding everyone, even Rapunzel, and when she was home, he could tell how scared she was of him and it stung to his very core. Since the beginning of the week, she'd been avoiding him, and he totally understood her reasonings. Hell, he'd be doing the same if in her shoes. He was a mess and he knew he was losing his grip, but the thing that scared him more than anything was his anger becoming too much and becoming the monster they, both hated. If he did that, he'd never forgive himself.

"Earth to Jack."

He snorted as Hiccup elbowed him. He merely shook his head and downed the last of his beer along with all the ruminating self-hatred that came with it. Hiccup watched him sadly then sat back, "You're going to find a great job Jack, maybe you need to dig into some other places a little further from Viggo's reach."

"I know I'll find a place, even if it's far. That's not why I'm upset." he sighed.

Hiccup nodded, leaning a little closer to show he was listening.

Jack rubbed his eyes, "I can't help but feel like I've done nothing but hurt everyone around me."

"Whoa, dude, you need to reign that in." Hiccup warned, "No one is blaming you for a thing."

Jack felt tears prick his eyes and shook his head, "I just hate that this…it's so stupid, but the minute it happened, it's done nothing but ruin my life and tear the people I love apart-"

"Hey, it's only been a few days, you're just- "

"No!" Jack cried then, hand gripping his hair tightly and shaking, "Not that. I haven't…I haven't told anyone about it." He admitted.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked him with concern.

Jack's body nearly vibrated the couch from his trembling, one hand nearly pulling hair out of his scalp, the other squeezing the bottle tight enough to hear a small crack. He wanted to get it out, he wanted this monster to leave, but he was terrified; truly and utterly terrified.

His voice made to move, he willed himself to try and get it out. Whatever it was clawed at his throat until he couldn't hold out any longer, "I can't!" he screamed and threw the bottle away from him violently, the resounding crash startling Hiccup but confirming to himself just how broken he was.

"Jack, hey, stay with me, alright." Hiccup tried soothing him, his hands up now so Jack could see, "Look whatever it is, you don't have to tell me, but you need to tell somebody."

"What if I can't?!" he cried out, "What if I'm stuck with this inside me for the rest of my life and I lose everyone!"

"That's not happening." Hiccup promised, "No matter how bad it is, I care about you."

"Hiccup, I'm not worth it, trust me." He spat in disgust at himself.

"That's not true," Hiccup defended, "Remember when I was having a panic attack at school, or crying about my mom? You were the one there for me. Not Merida, not my dad; you! So now it's my turn. No matter what this is, I'm your best friend and always will be."

"It's not fair." He sobbed, feeling his friend's hand on his back finally, "You don't deserve this, Rapunzel doesn't deserve this. I'm only killing us slowly."

"No, you're not." Hiccup said firmly, "You told me you have an appointment with Elsa soon, right? Go to that and you will have shown Rapunzel how worthy she is to you. By getting help, you are doing everything right, I promise you."

Jack shook his head, but Hiccup continued, "This will pass, Jack, and no matter what, I'm not leaving you, okay?"

Jack let out the longest sob he didn't realize he'd been carrying as his friend held him. He was reminded of something, something from long ago, but not when he was a child. No this was a different memory, another one that he'd never forget:

_He was lying on a cold dirt road. His best friend was unconscious and bleeding, his leg bent so badly he was pretty sure it was going to pop off at the smallest movement. A broken bike was lying on the road and the truck was long gone. Jack had hoped the driver would turn around, call for help, do something. But no, it was just him and his best friend stuck on the cold ground. Defenseless and petrified. _

_Even if the lady's voice on the other end of the phone was calm and kind, he couldn't keep from shaking and crying as she explained what he needed to do while paramedics headed their way. _

_He just had to keep his friend warm. It was all he had to do, and he'd done that by holding him close, taking his jacket off and covering his body as best he could. _

_He ignored the cold and kept repeating over and over to his friend that he was there, that he wasn't leaving. _

_Hiccup was deathly still, and Jack felt numb, his tears the only thing reminding him that he was outside in the cold as they froze down his cheeks and neck. _

_Sirens wailed in the distance and he felt immense relief. _

"_You hear that Hiccup?" his teeth chattered, "They're close. They're coming." _

_His friend, somehow alive, moaned and managed to try speaking._

"_Shh…hey, don't move, I got this. I'm not leaving you, alright, just hang in there Hiccup." He smiled through tears, trying to stay positive and happy for the one person who always stuck by his side, "I got you." He whispered. _

Hiccup held his best friend, who finally wrapped his arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, his fists still clenched but now finding Hiccups shirt to latch onto and ground himself.

Hiccup smiled through tears and shut his eyes, "I got you."


End file.
